What you need in place before a computer-based test
A computer-based test (CBT) goes smoothly when seven things are settled before exam day: the format (lab or remote), working devices and network, a correctly configured paper, candidate logins, timing rules, a rehearsed backup plan and a clear process for publishing results. This checklist walks through each one in the order an exam coordinator usually handles them.
It is written for the person who has to make the test actually happen: an exam in-charge at a school, a coaching centre owner moving weekly tests online, a training institute running certification tests, or an HR team screening applicants. It assumes your questions are already written. If you are still organising them, start with our guide on building a question bank for online exams.
Lab-based, remote or mixed: choose the format first
Almost every later decision depends on where candidates sit. In a lab-based CBT, candidates use your computers in a room you control. In a remote test, they log in from home on their own phone or laptop. Some institutes mix the two, running practice and mock tests remotely and final tests in the lab.
| Question | Lab-based CBT | Remote test |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls the device? | You do. Same browser, same settings, no personal apps. | The candidate does. Expect old phones, low storage and shared family laptops. |
| Who controls the network? | You do, so one router or line failure affects everyone at once. | Each candidate depends on home Wi-Fi or mobile data, so failures are scattered. |
| Supervision | Invigilators in the room. | Software rules, plus optional webcam proctoring for high-stakes tests. |
| Best suited to | Term exams, admission tests, recruitment and certification tests. | Practice tests, weekly quizzes and tests for candidates spread across towns. |
If the result of the test affects admission, a job or a certificate, a supervised lab is the safer default. Remote testing makes sense when convenience matters more than strict control, or when candidates cannot travel. Our article on reducing cheating in online tests covers how to match security controls to what is at stake.
Lab and device checks to finish well before exam day
Most CBT failures on the day are hardware or network problems that a walk-through would have caught. Assign one person to go through every system in every lab with this list, and record the result on paper or in a shared sheet.
- Working systems: count the computers that start, log in and open the exam page, then compare that number with the candidates allotted to the room. Keep spare machines switched on and ready, not in a store room.
- Browser: use the same browser and version on every machine, clear saved passwords, and remove extensions that candidates could misuse.
- Power: check that the UPS or inverter can carry the computers, the router and the network switches for the full exam length with some margin.
- Network load: open the exam page on all machines at the same moment. A lab that works with five users can slow down badly when forty candidates submit together.
- Clock and screen: confirm the system time is correct and that the screen shows the full question and options without sideways scrolling.
- Seating plan: number each seat, map roll numbers to seats, and alternate batches or leave gaps where space allows.
If candidates test from home
Send a short device note well before the test: which browsers work, that the phone should be charged and plugged in, that background apps should be closed and notifications silenced. Ask every candidate to attempt a practice test on the same device they will use for the real one. Problems found in a practice test cost nothing; problems found during the real one cost a re-test.
Configuring the paper and exam rules in the software
Once the questions are ready, the test itself has settings that decide how candidates experience it. Write these down as a one-page exam specification and have a second person check the configured test against it.
| Setting | What to decide |
|---|---|
| Duration and schedule | Total time, start date and time, and whether candidates can start any time within a window or only at a fixed moment. |
| Sections | Whether the paper is split into sections (for example, by subject), with or without separate time for each. |
| Marking | Marks per question, whether negative marking applies, and how partial credit works for questions with more than one correct option. |
| Navigation | Whether candidates may skip ahead, go back and change answers, or must answer in order. |
| Attempts | How many attempts are allowed. For a final test this is usually one; practice tests may allow more. |
| Instructions screen | What candidates read before the timer starts: marking rules, time allowed and what to do if something goes wrong. |
| Result release | Whether scores appear immediately on submission or only after the coordinator publishes them. |
Before the test is scheduled, the coordinator or a subject teacher should take it once exactly as a candidate would. This preview catches wrong answer keys, missing images, typing errors and questions that look fine in the editor but are hard to read on a small screen.
Lock the exam configuration after the preview. Late edits made in a hurry are a common source of wrong answer keys.
Candidate logins, instructions and timing on the day
Login problems can easily delay the start of a CBT, and they are almost always preventable. Create candidate accounts in bulk from your admission or registration list rather than one by one, and use a predictable username such as the roll number. Check the list for duplicates and misspelt names before accounts are created, because the name on the account is the name that appears on the result.
- For lab tests, print each candidate's login on a slip or on the admit card, and give the invigilator a master list in case a slip is lost.
- For remote tests, send login details by SMS or WhatsApp a day or two in advance, along with a helpline number that will actually be answered during the test.
- Ask candidates to log in and wait on the instructions page before the start time, so the timer starts with everyone ready.
- Decide the late-entry rule in advance: up to what point a latecomer may start, and whether they get the full time or only the time remaining.
The timer and auto-submit should be controlled by the exam system, not by the invigilator's watch. When time ends, answers are submitted automatically, which removes arguments about a few more minutes. If some candidates are entitled to extra time, for example because of a disability, put the policy in writing and check with your software provider how extra time is configured before exam day.
Run a full dry run under real conditions
A dry run is a mock test taken under the same conditions as the real exam: the same labs, the same number of candidates, the same time of day and the same login process. Running it with a handful of staff does not test the network load or the login desk.
- Schedule a short mock test with the real candidate group, early enough that you can fix whatever it reveals.
- Have invigilators follow the exact exam-day routine, including ID checks and seating.
- Note every problem with the time it happened: machines that froze, slow page loads, login failures and unclear instructions.
- Submit the test, publish results internally, and check that scores, exports and any SMS or WhatsApp notifications work as expected.
- Fix the problems, then repeat the parts that failed.
The dry run also trains invigilators. Someone who has already moved a candidate to a spare system once will do it calmly when it happens in the real exam.
A written backup plan for when something fails
Sooner or later, something will go wrong during an exam. What matters is that the response is decided beforehand and applied the same way to every candidate. Keep a one-page plan with each invigilator and with the exam in-charge.
| Problem | First response | Who decides further action |
|---|---|---|
| A candidate's computer freezes or shuts down | Move the candidate to a spare system and log in again. Note the time lost. | Exam in-charge, applying the written extra-time rule. |
| Power cut in the lab | The UPS keeps systems running. If it fails, record the time for every affected candidate. | Exam in-charge, with the head of the institution if the test must be rescheduled. |
| Internet or network failure | Check the router and switches first, keep candidates calm and seated, and record the time. | Exam in-charge decides whether to wait, extend or reschedule. |
| A candidate cannot log in | Check the username and password against the master list and reset it if needed. | Login desk staff, escalating to the coordinator. |
| An error is found in a question during the test | Do not edit the paper mid-test. Record the question number. | Subject teacher and coordinator decide afterwards whether to award the marks to all or drop the question. |
Ask your software provider one specific question: if a candidate's session is interrupted, which answers are kept? Some systems save each answer as soon as it is marked; in others this is a setting that has to be switched on. Your extra-time rule depends on the answer.
Checking and publishing results
Objective questions such as MCQ, true/false and numeric answers can be marked by the system as soon as each candidate submits. Subjective answers still need a teacher. Plan who checks which questions and by when, so that objective scores are not released long before the full result.
- Review before release: scan for questions where almost everyone lost marks. This often points to a wrong answer key rather than a hard question.
- Fix and re-evaluate: correct the key and re-run the evaluation before results go out, not after complaints arrive.
- Release at an announced time: tell candidates when results will appear and how they will be informed, whether through their login, SMS or WhatsApp.
- Rechecks: set a short window and a clear process for re-evaluation requests.
- Archive: export the result list to PDF or Excel and store it with the exam records and the paper settings.
What to do with the numbers once results are out is covered separately in our guide to online exam result analytics.
How MATROP's online exam software supports this checklist
MATROP PRIVATE LIMITED provides online examination software for schools, colleges, coaching centres and training or recruitment teams. For the steps in this checklist, the relevant parts are:
- Setup: admin, teacher and student logins with role-based permissions, institute or branch-wise setup, and classes, batches and subjects.
- Exam rules: a timer with auto-submit, shuffling of questions and options, navigation control, attempt limits and reusable exam settings templates.
- Candidate side: tests run in a desktop or mobile browser, with an Android app available as an option. Students see their exam schedule and instructions and can take mock tests for practice.
- Results: objective questions are evaluated automatically, teachers check subjective answers through an evaluation workflow, and results can be exported to PDF or Excel. Re-evaluation requests are available as an option.
- Optional add-ons: auto-save of answers, tab-switch warnings, IP or device restriction, webcam proctoring, payment collection and certificates are set up only if your exams need them.
It may not be the right fit if you run one or two small tests a year; a supervised paper test is simpler. And if the test is conducted by an external board or recruitment agency, that body's own system is used and your role is preparing candidates, not running a platform. Coaching and computer centres that want exams alongside admissions, batches and fees can also look at our coaching and computer centre software. If you are in or near Ranchi, a demo can also be arranged at our office.
Questions people ask
How many spare computers should a CBT lab keep?
There is no standard number. Use your dry run as a guide: count how many machines failed or froze, and keep at least that many spares switched on in each lab, with extra for larger rooms.
Can candidates take a CBT on their mobile phones?
Yes, if the exam software works in a mobile browser, as MATROP's does. For high-stakes tests, a supervised lab with desktops still gives you more control over the device and the room.
What happens to answers if a computer shuts down during the test?
That depends on whether the system saves each answer as it is marked. In MATROP's software auto-save is an optional setting, so confirm it is switched on and write down your extra-time rule before exam day.
How long before the exam should we hold the dry run?
Early enough to fix whatever it reveals and to repeat any part that failed. A dry run on the day before leaves no time to replace hardware or retrain invigilators.
