Exam Templates
Create reusable exam configurations as templates for quick, consistent exam creation across your organization.
Overview
Exam Templates in Testify allow teachers and administrators to define reusable exam blueprints that capture the structure, configuration, and rules of an exam without the actual questions. When creating a new exam, you can select a template to pre-fill settings like section layout, marks distribution, timing rules, question type mix, and pattern type. This saves time and ensures consistency across exams within a department or organization.
Templates come in two varieties: system templates (provided by Testify and available to everyone) and custom templates (created by individual users or shared within an organization).
How It Works
Browsing Templates
- Navigate to Exam Templates from the exam management area.
- View available templates organized by:
- System templates -- pre-built templates provided by Testify (shown first).
- Your templates -- templates you have created.
- Organization templates -- templates shared within your organization.
- Filter templates by:
- Board -- education board (e.g., CBSE, ICSE).
- Pattern type -- exam pattern (e.g., JEE, NEET, custom).
Creating a Template
- Click Create Template.
- Fill in the template details:
- Name (required) -- a descriptive name like "CBSE Class 10 Math Mid-Term".
- Description -- explain what the template is for and when to use it.
- Board -- the education board this template targets.
- Grade -- the grade/class level.
- Pattern Type -- categorize the pattern (e.g., "jee", "neet", "custom").
- Configuration (required) -- the JSON configuration that defines the exam structure, including sections, question types, marks per question, total marks, duration, and other settings.
- Click Save. The template is created and associated with your user account and organization.
Using a Template
When creating a new exam:
- In the exam creation flow, click Use Template or select from the template dropdown.
- Browse or search available templates.
- Select a template -- the exam configuration is pre-filled with the template's settings.
- Customize any settings as needed for this specific exam.
- Add questions and finalize the exam.
The template provides the starting configuration; you always have full control to modify it.
Editing a Template
- Find the template in the template library.
- Click Edit.
- Modify any fields: name, description, board, grade, pattern type, or configuration.
- Click Save.
Access control:
- You can only edit templates you created.
- System templates cannot be edited by regular users.
- Super Admins can edit any template, including system templates.
Deleting a Template
- Find the template in the template library.
- Click Delete and confirm.
Access control:
- You can only delete templates you created.
- System templates cannot be deleted by regular users.
- Super Admins can delete any template.
Deleting a template does not affect exams that were previously created using that template.
Key Features
Template Configuration
The config_json field stores the complete exam blueprint as a JSON object. It can include:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Sections | Number and names of exam sections |
| Question types | Types of questions per section (MCQ, essay, etc.) |
| Marks distribution | Marks per question and total marks |
| Duration | Time limit in minutes |
| Negative marking | Whether incorrect answers are penalized |
| Question count | Number of questions per section |
| Difficulty mix | Distribution of easy/medium/hard questions |
Template Types
| Type | Created By | Editable By | Visible To |
|---|---|---|---|
| System | Testify platform | Super Admin only | All users |
| Custom | Individual user | Creator and Super Admin | Creator and org members |
Organization Sharing
When you create a template within an organization:
- The template is automatically associated with your organization.
- All members of your organization can see and use the template.
- Only the creator (or Super Admin) can edit or delete it.
Pattern Types
Templates can be categorized by pattern type for easy filtering:
- JEE -- Joint Entrance Examination pattern.
- NEET -- National Eligibility cum Entrance Test pattern.
- CBSE -- Central Board of Secondary Education pattern.
- Custom -- any user-defined pattern.
Tips and Best Practices
- Create templates for recurring exam formats -- if you give the same type of exam every term, save the configuration as a template.
- Use descriptive names and descriptions so other teachers in your organization can easily find and understand templates.
- Include the grade and board in the template metadata for accurate filtering.
- Start from system templates when available -- create a new exam from a system template, customize it, then save your version as a custom template.
- Do not delete templates that other teachers might be using as reference -- coordinate with your department first.
- Review the config_json carefully before saving to ensure all settings are correct.
For Administrators
- Create organization-wide templates that standardize exam formats across departments.
- System templates can be created by Super Admins to provide default patterns for all organizations.
- Monitor template usage to identify which patterns are most popular.
- Consider creating templates for each major exam type (unit tests, mid-terms, finals) to ensure consistency.
Related Features
- Online Exams -- templates are used during exam creation.
- AI Generation -- AI-generated exams can follow template configurations.
- Question Bank -- questions selected for template-based exams come from the question bank.