Running an open exam

Running exams needs only a few tools. At the top of the Teacher Studio menu, choose Exams and the menu shrinks to Exam Events, Papers, Question Vaults, Bulk Import, Classes, Media and Profile. The studio home becomes your exam desk: your next exam, how many registered, what waits for approval, and a step-by-step list for your first exam. Choose Everything any time for courses, problems, labs and notes.

A teacher who has an exam or an organisation and no courses starts on the Exams view. You do not need an institute: a teacher on their own runs exams the same way.

Teacher StudioExam Events, Your name and logo

This is optional. Without it, your exams show your own name and profile photo. To run them under a coaching centre's, a school's or your own brand, set up its name, logo, website and a banner: a wide picture (about 1600 × 400) that heads your exam cards on Mock Tests, the home page, the Exams list and the exam's page. An admin approves it once, and again whenever the name, logo or banner changes.

Its exams then read "Conducted by your organisation in collaboration with StemPy Lab", with your name beside it if you choose. Add a helpline phone and email to the organisation (or to one exam) and they show on the exam's card and page.

1. Get the paper ready

   A published, private, timed test, so no one sees it before the exam. Its questions must not be public either. If some are, Lock my questions in this test takes them out of the question bank until you make them public again. A question from another teacher's public set cannot be used.

2. Fill in the exam

   Under Exam Events, pick the test and set:

   • the date and time, and how many minutes late a candidate may still join;
   • a number of places, if you want a limit;
   • when results show: as soon as it ends, or when you release them;
   • how often a candidate may leave the exam screen (3 to 20 times, or no limit);
   • how long a held candidate has to appeal (1 to 7 days, or no appeals);
   • whether candidates may object to the answer key (24 to 72 hours), and certificates.

3. Send for approval

   Tick the declaration that you have reviewed every question of the paper and its answer (it is kept with a copy of the paper; see how). An admin checks the exam. Once approved, it appears on Mock Tests and the Exams page, and registrations open.

To charge a fee, or keep an exam to your own students, set Only with an access code from you in the exam's form.

Fee

Any amount, in any currency.

How candidates pay you

A UPI ID (the page makes a QR code), a payment link such as PayPal, Stripe, Razorpay or Wise, bank details, or at your centre.

Access codes

Make them on the exam's page: a number of codes, or one per name. Copy, download or print them as slips.

Paid claims

A candidate who paid gives the reference. Check it in your own account, then confirm. They are told.

Open the exam's page (or press Who registered beside it on Exam Events or the studio home). The list shows each candidate's name, member ID, school and city, when they registered, how they got in (free, access code or paid) and whether they have sat it, with a search box once the list grows. Download (CSV) adds marks, place, time and screen leaves after the exam. Admins see the same for every exam, and the members of each Live Series.

• Announcements board. Post on it from the exam's page (up to 10 a day): the syllabus, the reporting time, a change. Pin one to keep it at the top. Tick Tell the registered candidates to send it to them too.
• Candidate list. Download it any time: name, member ID, school, city, and after the exam marks, place, time and screen leaves. An email appears only where an adult agreed to share it.
• Messages. Write to the candidates, or their parents, through StemPy Lab (up to 3 a day, about the exam only). You never see their addresses.
• Spread the word. Every exam card (on the home page, Mock Tests and the Exams list) and the exam's page has share buttons for WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn and email, a copy-link button, calendar buttons, and a QR code with a poster to print. Show these exams on your website on Mock Tests gives a box to paste into your own site, a calendar feed, and RSS and JSON feeds.

Registered candidates are reminded 30 minutes before. The paper opens for everyone at the start time. While it runs you can:

• give more time to write, or to join (5 to 60 minutes);
• end it early.

Answers are saved as candidates give them, and submitted for them when the time ends.

1. See the ranks

   You see the ranks at once, and the report of every question. Release the results now, or when you are ready.

2. Review held attempts and appeals

   Attempts over the screen-leaving limit wait under Leaving the exam screen and appeals. Clear them, or disqualify with a warning. Answer each appeal, with a reply if you like.

3. Answer objections, if you allowed them

   For each objection, keep the answer, correct it, or drop the question (everyone given it then gets its marks). Then publish the final results. Certificates come with them.

4. Certificates

   Participation for everyone, Merit for the top tenth, with marks and place, in your organisation's name.

Holding tests and exams on StemPy Lab is free while we launch. To talk about holding tests for your institute, use Hold your mock tests here on the Mock Tests page, or write to us.