Exam Creator

Exam Creator

The authoring tool for psi-exam, developed at the Chair of Privacy and Security in Information Systems, University of Bamberg.

Your data stays local. Everything happens in your browser — no exam data is sent to any server. All exam data is stored in your browser's Local Storage. There is no server-side copy. You can disconnect from the network after loading and continue working offline.

Important: Browser data can be lost when you clear your browsing history or site data. Always export your exam after making changes to keep a safe copy. You can also use "Scrub Datastore" (top bar) to deliberately delete all exam data from the browser — this cannot be undone.

General Workflow

The typical workflow for creating an exam:

1. Set exam metadata (name, date, duration, passing percentage) in the top bar.
2. Edit the coversheet with exam instructions in Markdown/HTML.
3. Add tasks, then add subtasks or sections inside each task.
4. Configure blocks within subtasks (text, input fields, resources, etc.).
5. Use Preview ("View All Tasks") to review the rendered exam.
6. Run Validation to check for issues.
7. Export the exam as a ZIP file.

Metadata & Coversheet

The coversheet supports Markdown and HTML. Use template placeholders that are replaced automatically on export:

• {{ exam.name }} — exam name
• {{ exam.date }} — exam date
• TOTAL_POINTS — sum of all subtask points
• PASSING_POINTS — calculated from total points × passing percentage

These placeholders are available via quick-insert buttons in the coversheet editor toolbar.

Export & Import

There are two export scopes:

• Full Exam Export (top bar, right) — creates a ZIP with all tasks, resources, aux-files, and coversheet.
• Single-Task Export (sidebar, per task) — exports one task as a standalone ZIP. You can choose whether referenced resource files and aux-files should be included.

Import works the same way:

• Full Exam Import (top bar) — loads a complete exam ZIP, replacing the current exam data.
• Task Import (sidebar) — imports a single-task ZIP. You can choose to overwrite an existing task with the same name or add the imported task under a new name without touching the existing one.

Tasks & Subtasks

Tasks are the top-level grouping in an exam. Each task can contain subtasks and sections.

Subtasks

Subtasks contain blocks with input fields where students enter their answers. Each subtask has a points value that contributes to the total exam points.

Sections

Sections are for content without input fields — shared intro text, images, or instructions that apply to multiple subtasks. Sections can contain text blocks, resource blocks, and external code blocks, but not input fields.

"I don't know" Option

Subtasks can offer an "I don't know" (IDK) button. Students can indicate they don't know the answer instead of guessing. The exam-wide IDK Limit in the metadata controls how many times a student may use this option. Set the limit to 0 to disable the feature entirely.

If IDK is enabled globally, you can disable it for individual subtasks using the override button on the subtask.

Paper-based Input

If a subtask uses a paper input type, it means the answer is collected on physical paper. The input field won't appear in the student view — it is only used during grading.

Expected Solutions

For each subtask you can record expected solutions. These are not included in the exam shown to students — they are placed in an internal subdirectory that is not copied to the exam laptops. Use them to document correct answers for grading.

Feedback Blocks

Feedback blocks let you give students live feedback during the exam. Link a feedback block to an input field and fill in the "Solution for Feedback" field with the correct answer(s). The system will then tell students whether their input is correct. This is optional — you don't have to use feedback blocks.

References

Each subtask has an optional references field. This is not shown to students — it is included in the grading materials only, for the examiner's reference.

Internal Comments

There is an internal comments field for each task and one for the whole exam (in the sidebar). These are useful for collaborative exam creation — leave notes for co-authors, mark tasks that need review, etc. Internal comments are never exported to the student exam.

Blocks & Content

Blocks are the building elements inside subtasks and sections. Available block types:

Text Block

Rich content using Markdown. Supports standard formatting, lists, tables, code blocks, and inline HTML.

Input Field Block

Fields where students enter answers. Input types:

• Single-line Text — short text answer with configurable width
• Multi-line Text — longer text answer with configurable rows and columns
• LaTeX Input — math formula input rendered with KaTeX
• Paper — answer on physical paper (not shown to students)

Each input field can have a label, placeholder, and expected solution.

Resource Block

Embeds a file from the resource library into the task. Images are shown inline; other files appear as download links. Resources can be configured as image or download type.

External Code Block

Displays a code file with syntax highlighting. Specify the filename and language for proper highlighting.

Feedback Block

Provides live feedback to students during the exam. A feedback block is linked to an input field in the same subtask. Fill in the "Solution for Feedback" field on the input block with the correct answer(s), then configure the feedback text. The student sees whether their input is correct while working on the exam. Only available in subtasks. This is optional — not every input field needs a feedback block.

Using TeX / KaTeX

Math expressions are supported in text block descriptions and other fields via KaTeX. Use $...$ for inline math and $$...$$ for display math.

Files & Resources

Resources

Resources are files displayed within task descriptions — images shown inline, other files as download links. Upload files via the resource manager and reference them using resource blocks inside tasks.

Aux-Files

Aux-files (auxiliary files) are files available to students on their exam laptop. During the exam they appear in ~/exam-files (writable) and as a read-only copy in ~/exam-files-readonly.

You can upload files individually or as a ZIP archive — both are just convenience options for authoring. ZIP contents are always extracted before the exam is exported; students will always see the individual files regardless of how they were uploaded.

Subdirectories: If you need a folder structure inside exam-files, you must upload a ZIP archive containing that folder structure. There is no other way to create subdirectories.

Aux-File Template Tags

Use aux-file template tags in the coversheet or text blocks to reference aux-files by name. The tags ensure that filenames in the rendered exam are always correct and consistent. They are replaced with proper file paths on export.

Views & Export

View All Tasks

Click "View All" (top-right) to open a rendered view of all tasks in a new browser tab. This displays all tasks and subtasks together on one page with rendered Markdown and KaTeX formulas, useful for reviewing the complete exam at a glance.

Validation

The validation panel checks for common issues before export, such as:

• Missing subtask points
• Empty input field labels
• Missing expected solutions
• Empty text blocks

Toggle individual validation checks in the validation settings.

Export

• Full Exam Export (top bar, right) — generates a ZIP with all tasks, resources, aux-files, and the coversheet as Jinja2 templates ready for psi-exam.
• Single-Task Export (sidebar, per task) — exports one task as a standalone ZIP. You can choose whether referenced resource files and aux-files should be included in the ZIP.

Import

• Full Exam Import (top bar) — loads a complete exam ZIP, replacing the current exam data. Also supports importing foreign exams (not created by this tool) — ZIP files with the exam/ folder structure containing Jinja2 HTML task templates are automatically detected and parsed into the internal format.
• Task Import (sidebar) — imports a single-task ZIP into the current exam. You can choose to overwrite an existing task with the same name or add the task under a new name without modifying the existing one.