Performance Testing for an Independent Educational Organisation based in Australia

The client, an independent educational organisation based in Australia, was selected to lead the development and implementation of a major international assessment programme spanning 90+ countries. Their Online Examination Platform is a critical component, ensuring a smooth and scalable examination experience for thousands of students simultaneously.

The client required non-functional performance testing to validate whether their online examination platform could efficiently handle high user concurrency and load stress scenarios across multiple geographical locations.

Key challenges identified:

1. Network Traffic Capture Issue: JMeter was unable to capture network traffic effectively, affecting script recording
2. Session Management Issue: Each set of questions assigned a unique Delivery Execution ID, leading to session expiration before the next request could be processed.
3. Login Process Inconsistencies: Session IDs and refresh tokens were not consistently captured, leading to authentication failures.
4. Scalability Testing Needs: The system had to handle 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 concurrent users, with stress testing up to 15,000 users to ensure system resilience.

To overcome challenges, our team at Testhouse implemented a structured performance testing strategy using JMeter v5.5 and BlazeMeter Cloud.

Key solutions deployed:

• BlazeMeter Chrome Extension: Used as an alternative for capturing network traffic, resolving script recording failures.
• Dynamic Execution ID Management: Developed a custom approach to handle unique Delivery Execution IDs dynamically, ensuring session continuity.
• Optimised Script Execution: Enhanced JMeter test scripts to stabilise login flows and maintain session persistence. Additionally, scripts were designed to pass varied think-time, unique test data and validate key workflows.
• SSL Issue Resolution: Collaborated with the client to fix SSL-related issues, ensuring smooth authentication.
• Comprehensive Load & Stress Testing: Simulated various workloads to evaluate system scalability and performance stability.
• Real-world Simulation: Leveraged cloud-based load generators to simulate traffic from across various geographical locations.

“Testhouse’s expertise in performance testing helped us overcome critical challenges, ensuring our online examination platform runs smoothly at scale. Their solutions optimised stability, delivering a seamless experience for thousands of students.”

• Seamless Performance at Scale: The system successfully handled up to 15,000 concurrent users, ensuring a smooth examination experience for students.
• Stability & Resource Optimization: CPU & memory utilisation remained within normal operating thresholds, confirming system resilience.
• Scalability & Reliability Validated: The platform demonstrated consistent performance under peak loads, ensuring that exam sessions run uninterrupted even in high-traffic scenarios.
• Enhanced User Experience: The optimised system provides fast, reliable access for thousands of students, preventing crashes or delays during assessments.

Through robust performance testing, Testhouse ensured that the Australian Educational Online Examination Platform met global scalability and reliability standards. Our approach enabled the client to confidently launch their high-stakes assessment platform while guaranteeing a seamless experience for students across Australia.