"Sometimes you may be delayed in completing your final administrative work," Danieli said. "You have to be very deliberate in your counting."

There are other advantages to being a proctor as well, such as wages as high as $8 per hour.

"The extra money is good too," said Clarke, who described herself as a homemaker and gardener when she is not busy proctoring.

However, proctoring exams is not always easy. The job often entails responding to students who become ill or decide to cheat.

But proctors said cheating is rare.

"I've never had any cheating," Ghany said. "They are nice students."

Clarke said she once found some notes lying on the floor near a student.

"I put them up on the windowsill," Clarke said, adding that she didn't suspect the student of cheating but wanted to make sure the student was not tempted.

There are other disadvantages to proctoring as well.

"It can be boring at times," Clarke said. "I do mental exercises like counting heads over and over."

Most proctors are retired Boston area residents. Several said they heard about the opportunity to proctor through friends who either do it themselves, or have other connections to the College