Key takeaways
- Decide the format (live window, self-paced mock or practice) before you write a single question.
- Mirror the real exam's sections, timing and marking so the result means something.
- Run a dry run with five people a week before: it catches 90% of exam-day problems.
- Plan the evaluation and result release up front, not after the exam closes.
Before the exam: decide the format
Most online exam problems are decided long before exam day. The first choice is the format. A live exam runs in a fixed window, and everyone writes at the same time; this is right for internals, scholarship tests and anything ranked. A self-paced mock stays open with a fixed duration, which suits test series. A practice test is untimed and exists to teach, not to rank.
Write the format down along with who is taking it, how results will be used, and who checks any written answers. Those four lines answer most of the questions your team will ask later.
The 12-step checklist
- Fix the format: live window, self-paced mock or practice.
- Build the paper from your question bank, an imported Word file or an AI draft you have reviewed.
- Split it into sections that mirror the real exam, each with its own marks and negative marking.
- Choose timing: one duration, per-section timers, or per-question timers, and whether time-out submits automatically.
- Decide question order: shuffle within sections so neighbours see different orders.
- Pick integrity rules: full screen and tab-switch limits at minimum; camera checks for anything ranked or certified.
- Write the instructions: how long, how many sections, what happens on a tab switch, what to do if the internet drops.
- Assign candidates by batch, or open a registration page for public tests.
- Schedule reminders for the day before and an hour before.
- Run a dry run with five people on different devices and networks.
- On exam day, watch the Ongoing and Pending lists and remind no-shows.
- Evaluate, review and release results on the schedule you announced.
Why the dry run matters
A dry run with a handful of colleagues on phones, old laptops and patchy Wi-Fi will surface instruction gaps, wrong answer keys and timing mistakes while they are still cheap to fix. Ask each tester to switch tabs once and to turn their Wi-Fi off for thirty seconds, so you know exactly what candidates will see.
On exam day
Keep one person on monitoring and one on candidate support. Most support requests are about camera permission, a browser that isn't up to date, or a candidate who started late. Have a short written answer ready for each.
- Open the monitoring console 15 minutes before start.
- Send a reminder to anyone in Pending five minutes after start.
- Log every exception (a granted reattempt, a technical issue) in one place.
After the exam: evaluation and results
Objective questions should be marked the moment the exam ends. For written answers, decide in advance who evaluates and by when. If you use AI to draft marks, budget time for teachers to review before release.
Publish when you said you would. A result that arrives the same day is a learning moment; one that arrives two weeks later is just a number.
Where Examezy fits
Examezy covers every step above in one place: sections, timers, negative marking, shuffled order, full-screen and tab-switch rules, camera proctoring, batch or public registration, a live monitoring console, auto-marking, on-screen and AI evaluation, and release on your schedule.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an online exam be?+
Match the real exam if you're rehearsing for one. For internal tests, 45 to 90 minutes keeps attention and limits connection risk.
What if a student's internet drops?+
Use a platform that saves answers on the device and syncs them, and tell students in the instructions what they'll see if the connection drops.