Creating an exam

A new exam

1. Open Exams and press New exam.
2. Give it a Name (students see it on their list and at the top of the paper), an optional Description, and choose the Class, Section (or All sections) and Subject.
3. Press Create the exam. Everyone in that class or section is put on its candidate list, and the exam opens as a Draft.

An exam has six tabs: Exam (details and a checklist), Questions, Candidates, Settings, Live and Result. A draft is private to its staff: students cannot see or take it until it is published.

Putting questions on the paper

On the Questions tab, press Add question and choose:

• Write a question: type one without leaving the paper.
• Add questions using AI: the same reading and drafting as in the question bank.
• Add questions from the bank: filter and tick the ones you want.

Drag questions to reorder them, or use Move up and Move down. You can give a question different marks on this paper; leave the box blank to use its own marks, and press Save N changes. A question written on the paper belongs to this exam alone until you press Add to bank.

Question sets, rules and pools

Sets let neighbours sit different papers. Press New set on the Questions tab to add Set B, Set C and so on. Every set must have the same number of questions and the same total marks, or publishing is refused. Under Settings → The paper, choose How the sets are given out: In turn, Random, or Fixed per student.

Each set’s questions can be chosen in one of three ways (How its questions are chosen, on the Question sets page):

Hand-picked

You choose each question.

From rules

Rules draw from the bank when you publish, and everyone given that set sits the same list. A rule says How many, and optionally the Subject, Difficulty, Type, Tags and Marks each. Only approved questions are drawn.

A pool

You pick a pool of questions, and the rules draw a different paper for each candidate as they start. Every rule of a pool needs marks per question, so every candidate’s paper is worth the same. Preview a draw shows what a candidate might get.

When it runs

The first card on the Settings tab, When it runs, has its own Save schedule button.

• Time zone: pick your school’s city. Every time on the page is read in this zone.
• Time allowed (minutes): counted from the moment each student presses Start. Leave it blank for no clock; the paper is then simply due by the closing time.
• Delivery method: Everyone at the same time (one fixed start, with Late entry allowed (minutes) and Closes at), or Flexible window start (open between Opens at and Closes at; each student starts when ready).
• Attempts per student: from 1 to 99. A dropped connection resumes the same attempt rather than using another one.

The exam’s settings

The rest of the Settings tab is one form, saved with Save settings:

01 Marking

Pass marks, Negative marking (none, a fixed number of marks, or a share of each question’s marks), When students get their results (Immediately upon submission, When you release them, or After you have checked every paper), What students see in their report, and Hide rank from students.

02 Grades

Use the school’s grade scale, or untick it to give this exam its own grade bands.

03 The paper

Randomize question order, Randomize answer choices, Prevent backtracking (also turns off mark for review) and Lock answers on selection.

04 Where it is sat

Any device — browser, mobile app or desktop app, The Examline desktop app only, on any computer, or The desktop app on registered machines in chosen rooms. See Exam rooms & the desktop app.

05 Before they start

An entrance or interview exam, Ask for a fixed access code (one code for the room, read out at the start), and Details to collect such as a roll number or exam centre.

06 Keeping it fair

When to flag a paper and when to submit it automatically. See Exam integrity.

Practice papers and homework

The same settings cover other kinds of paper. For practice, raise Attempts per student, choose Immediately upon submission, and tick Hide rank from students. For homework, leave Time allowed blank and set a closing time as the due date.

Entrance and interview exams

For people who are not in a class yet, such as an admission enquiry or an interview day, switch on An entrance or interview exam under Settings → Before they start. The class and subject become optional. A pool set suits an entrance exam that stays open for months, because each candidate draws their own paper.

1. On the Candidates tab, press Add a walk-in.
2. Type their Name and, optionally, Email, Phone and a Note. Without an email they get a candidate ID to sign in with.
3. Press Add and print the card. The entry card shows where to sign in, the candidate ID or email, and a password. The password is shown once, so print it.
4. The candidate signs in on the normal sign-in page, typing the candidate ID into the email box.

Publishing

The Exam tab’s checklist ticks itself as the exam takes shape: Exam details, Question paper, Candidates, Schedule, Result release and Invigilators. When it says Ready to publish:

1. Open the Settings tab and find Publish.
2. Leave Email the candidates ticked to send each one the exam’s name, times and a link to the instructions. The access code is never emailed.
3. Press Publish exam and confirm. The questions are frozen into the paper students download.

A published exam cannot be edited. While nobody has started it, Unpublish exam takes it back to draft. After that, Cancel this exam stops new starts while keeping every attempt already made.

• Lock the question paper (administrators): nobody can open the Questions tab until it is unlocked. Students sit the exam as normal, and every lock is recorded.
• Owner: hand the exam to another teacher with Transfer.
• Invigilators: choose the staff who run the room and press Save invigilators.
• Delete this exam is offered only while it is a draft.