Exam Management

This guide provides comprehensive information on creating, configuring, and managing exams on the R's PlacePrep platform.

Exam Lifecycle


Planning → Creation → Configuration → Publishing → Active → Completed → Analysis

Planning Phase

Before creating an exam, consider:

Objective: What skills are being assessed?
Target Audience: Which students should take this exam?
Scope: What topics will be covered?
Duration: How much time is appropriate?
Difficulty: What level of challenge is suitable?
Schedule: When should the exam be available?

Creating an Exam

Step 1: Access Exam Builder

Log in to the admin panel
Navigate to "Exams" from the sidebar
Click "Create New Exam" button
You'll be directed to the exam builder interface

Step 2: Basic Details

Fill in the fundamental exam information:

Exam Name

Use a descriptive, clear title
Include company name and year if applicable
Example: "TCS NQT Mock Test 2025"

Description

Provide context about the exam
Mention topics covered
Specify any prerequisites
Include special instructions

Duration

Set time limit in minutes
Typical ranges:
- Quick quiz: 10-15 minutes
- Topic test: 20-30 minutes
- Section test: 45-60 minutes
- Full mock test: 90-120 minutes

Negative Marking

Specify percentage of marks deducted for wrong answers
Common values:
- No negative marking: 0%
- Standard: 25% (1 mark deducted for 4-mark question)
- Strict: 33% or 50%
Consider the exam difficulty when setting this value

Exam Schedule

Start Time:

When the exam becomes accessible to students
Must be a future date/time for new exams
Students cannot attempt before this time

End Time:

When the exam automatically closes
Must be after start time
Consider multiple time zones if applicable
Add buffer time for late submissions if needed

Step 3: Exam Settings

Configure advanced options to customize the exam experience:

Allow Early Submission

Enabled (Recommended):

Students can submit when they complete all questions
Reduces waiting time
Allows students to finish at their own pace

Disabled:

Students must wait until time expires
Ensures all students have equal time
Useful for standardized testing

Enforce Fullscreen Mode

Enabled:

Exam enters fullscreen automatically on start
Exiting fullscreen triggers a warning
Two violations result in auto-submission
Helps maintain exam integrity
Prevents tab switching and resource lookup

Disabled:

Students can use normal browser window
More comfortable for some users
Suitable for practice tests

When to Enable:

High-stakes assessments
Competitive exams with rankings
Tests requiring strict proctoring

When to Disable:

Practice tests
Low-stakes quizzes
Accessibility considerations

Show Ranking

Enabled:

Students see their rank after submission
Ranking based on:
1. Total score (higher is better)
2. Time taken (faster is better for same score)
Encourages healthy competition
Motivates improvement

Disabled:

Results show only individual performance
No comparison with other students
Reduces pressure
Suitable for learning-focused assessments

Step 4: Question Selection

Choose questions to include in the exam:

Question Pool

Questions are organized by:

Company: TCS, Infosys, Accenture, etc.
Category: Aptitude, Coding, Verbal, Logical, etc.
Year/Pattern: 2024-NQT, 2025-IRT, etc.

Selection Methods

Manual Selection:

Browse through available questions
Click to add individual questions
Review selected questions
Reorder if needed

Bulk Selection:

Select entire sections or topics
System automatically adds all questions from the section
Faster for large exams

Random Selection:

Specify number of questions per topic
System randomly picks from available pool
Creates unique exam instances
Useful for preventing answer sharing

Question Distribution

Create balanced exams by ensuring:

Topic Coverage: All relevant topics are included
Difficulty Mix:
- 30-40% Easy questions
- 40-50% Medium questions
- 10-20% Hard questions
Point Distribution: Appropriate weightage for each section
Time Allocation: Questions fit within duration

Step 5: Review and Publish

Before publishing:

Preview Questions: Review all selected questions
Verify Settings: Confirm all configurations are correct
Test Duration: Ensure time limit is appropriate
Check Schedule: Verify start and end times
Proofread: Look for typos or formatting issues

Once satisfied, click "Publish Exam" to make it available to students.

Managing Active Exams

Exam States

Upcoming:

Exam is scheduled but not yet started
Start time is in the future
Students can see it but cannot attempt

Active:

Exam is currently available
Between start and end times
Students can attempt

Completed:

End time has passed
No new attempts allowed
Available for analysis

Monitoring Active Exams

While an exam is active, administrators can:

View Participation: See how many students have attempted
Monitor Progress: Check ongoing attempts (without seeing answers)
Extend Time: Add extra minutes if needed (for all students)
Handle Issues: Respond to technical difficulties

Emergency Actions

In case of issues during an exam:

Extend End Time:

Add more time if there's a platform issue
Applies to all students fairly
Document the reason for extension

Pause Exam:

Temporarily make exam inaccessible
Use during technical difficulties
Resume when issue is resolved

Cancel Exam:

Void all attempts
Use only for critical issues
Students can re-attempt later

Editing Exams

Before Exam Starts

You can freely edit:

All settings and configurations
Question selection
Schedule times
Any exam properties

During Active Exam

Limited Editing:

Cannot change questions
Cannot modify duration
Can extend end time
Can update description

Rationale: Prevents unfair advantages or disadvantages

After Exam Ends

Read-Only Mode:

Cannot edit exam content
Preserves integrity of results
Can only view and analyze

Exception: Clone the exam to create a new version with modifications

Question Management

Adding New Questions

Navigate to content directory
Locate appropriate company/category folder
Edit the markdown file
Add questions using proper format
Save changes
Questions automatically available in the pool

Question Format

markdown
## Question Title or Statement

Detailed question text goes here.

**Options:**
1. First option
2. Second option
3. Third option
4. Fourth option

**Answer:** 2

**Explanation:**
The second option is correct because...

**Difficulty:** Medium
**Topic:** Arrays
**Points:** 1

Metadata Fields

Required:

Question text
Options (for MCQs)
Correct answer

Optional:

Explanation
Difficulty level
Topic tags
Point value
Reference links

Question Types Supported

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ):

Single correct answer
4 options typically
Auto-graded

Multiple Select Questions:

Multiple correct answers
Partial credit possible
Auto-graded

True/False:

Binary choice
Quick assessment
Auto-graded

Coding Problems:

Code submission with built-in editor
Supports Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, and C
Python is the default language with starter template
Manual evaluation by administrators
Unattempted questions are auto-marked as incorrect (0 points)
Only attempted solutions are added to the manual evaluation queue

Coding Question Evaluation Flow


Submission → Check if Code Attempted → Manual Queue (if attempted)
                                    → Auto-mark Incorrect (if not attempted)

What counts as "not attempted":

Empty code editor
Only the default template remains
Less than 30 characters of actual code (after removing comments)

Benefits:

Reduces admin workload (no need to review empty submissions)
Students see results faster for unattempted coding questions
Manual review focuses on actual student work

AI-Assisted Coding Evaluation

The platform supports AI-powered evaluation of coding questions using Groq (Llama) or Google Gemini:

How AI Evaluation Works

Admin navigates to the evaluation queue
For individual questions: Click "AI Evaluate" button next to a pending submission
For bulk processing: Click "AI Evaluate All" on the main evaluation page
AI analyzes the student's code against the expected solution
AI provides:
- Marks awarded (with optional partial credit)
- Detailed feedback on code quality
- Suggestions for improvement

AI Evaluation Features

Auto-Fallback: If Groq fails, system automatically switches to Gemini (or vice versa)
Rate Limiting: Built-in delays prevent API rate limit errors
Partial Marks: AI can award partial credit (0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 increments)
Feedback Generation: Students receive detailed feedback in their review page

AI Evaluation Settings

Configure AI behavior in Admin Panel → AI Settings:

Provider Selection: Choose default AI provider
Custom API Keys: Use your own API keys (encrypted in database)
Partial Mark Increment: Set granularity for partial marks

When to Use AI Evaluation

Recommended for:

Large volume of coding submissions
Initial evaluation pass before manual review
Consistent grading criteria
Time-sensitive evaluations

Consider manual evaluation when:

Complex algorithmic questions requiring nuanced judgment
Questions with multiple valid approaches
Students have requested review of AI evaluation

AI Evaluation Indicators

Questions evaluated by AI display a small robot icon next to the marks indicator, making it easy to identify AI-assisted evaluations.

Exam Templates

Creating Templates

Save frequently used exam configurations as templates:

Create a sample exam with desired settings
Save as template
Reuse for similar exams

Template Use Cases

Weekly Tests: Same structure, different questions
Company Patterns: Standard format for company exams
Difficulty Levels: Templates for easy/medium/hard exams
Time Variants: 30-min, 60-min, 90-min versions

Cloning Exams

When to Clone

Create similar exams with minor changes
Set up practice and main exam versions
Generate multiple sets for different batches
Archive and recreate past exams

How to Clone

Navigate to the exam you want to clone
Click "Clone Exam" button
System creates an exact copy with "(Copy)" suffix
Edit the clone as needed
Publish when ready

What Gets Cloned

All questions and their order
All settings and configurations
Question pool selections

What Doesn't Get Cloned

Student attempts
Results and analytics
Schedule (start/end times)
Publication status

Deleting Exams

Considerations

Before Deletion:

Export results and analytics
Save any important data
Verify no students are currently attempting
Confirm this is the correct exam

Cannot Delete If:

Exam has student attempts (archive instead)
Exam is currently active

Safe Deletion Process

Ensure exam has ended
Export all results and data
Archive the exam (optional)
Click "Delete Exam"
Confirm deletion (irreversible)

Best Practices

Timing

Buffer Time: Add 5-10% extra time for reading instructions
Per Question: Allocate appropriate time based on difficulty
Avoid Rush: Don't make exams too time-pressured
Consider All: Account for different student speeds

Question Selection

Variety: Mix different types and difficulties
Relevance: Ensure all questions align with objectives
Fair Distribution: Balance across topics
Quality Over Quantity: Better to have fewer good questions

Settings Configuration

Match Purpose: Settings should align with exam goals
Be Consistent: Use similar settings for similar exam types
Document Reasons: Note why specific settings were chosen
Test First: Verify settings work as expected

Communication

Announce Early: Inform students well in advance
Clear Instructions: Provide comprehensive guidelines
Remind Students: Send reminders before exam starts
Be Available: Provide support during exam window

Quality Assurance

Peer Review: Have another admin review the exam
Test Run: Attempt the exam yourself
Verify Answers: Double-check all correct answers
Check Formatting: Ensure proper display of content
Test Features: Verify all settings work correctly

Analytics and Insights

After exam completion, use analytics to:

Identify difficult questions that may need review
Spot topics where students struggle
Compare performance across batches
Validate exam difficulty and fairness
Improve future exam design

See the Dashboard Overview for detailed analytics information.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Questions Not Appearing:

Verify markdown syntax is correct
Check file paths in content directory
Ensure files are saved properly
Review console for parsing errors

Students Cannot Access Exam:

Confirm exam is published
Check start/end times
Verify exam status is "Active"
Ensure students meet prerequisites

Timer Issues:

Verify duration is set correctly
Check server time synchronization
Ensure client browsers have correct time
Test in different browsers

Fullscreen Not Working:

Check browser permissions
Verify feature is properly enabled
Test in supported browsers
Provide alternative for incompatible devices

Getting Support

For unresolved issues:

Check the Troubleshooting guide
Review system logs and error messages
Consult the Admin Guide
Contact technical support with details:
- Exam ID
- Error messages
- Steps to reproduce
- Browser and OS information