Notifications: Exam Reminders, Results & Announcements

Testify keeps you informed about upcoming exams, published results, achievements, and system updates through multiple notification channels. You can receive alerts via in-app notifications, email, and push notifications -- and you control exactly which ones you want.

Types of Notifications

Testify sends five categories of notifications, each with its own icon and color:

Type	Icon	Color	Description
Exam Reminder	Bell (amber)	Amber	Alerts about upcoming exams and deadlines
Exam Published	File (indigo)	Indigo	New exams or assignments available to take
Results Published	Checkmark (green)	Green	Exam results are ready to view
Achievement	Trophy (yellow)	Yellow	Badges earned, level-ups, streak milestones
Custom/System	Message (blue)	Blue	Announcements from teachers, admins, or the system

The Notification Bell

The notification bell icon is located in the top navigation bar of the Testify interface.

Checking for New Notifications

1. Look at the bell icon in the top-right corner of the navigation bar.
2. If you have unread notifications, a badge appears on the bell showing the unread count.
3. Click the bell icon to open the Notification Center panel.

The Notification Center

The Notification Center is a slide-in panel that opens from the right side of the screen.

Opening the Panel

1. Click the bell icon in the top navigation bar.
2. The panel slides in from the right, overlaying the current page.
3. A semi-transparent backdrop covers the rest of the screen. Click the backdrop to close the panel.

Panel Header

At the top of the panel you will see:

• "Notifications" heading.
• An unread count badge in indigo (e.g., "3") showing how many notifications have not been read.
• A "Mark all read" button (visible only when there are unread notifications) with a double-checkmark icon.
• A close button (X icon) to dismiss the panel.

Notification Groups

Notifications are organized by time into three groups:

• Today -- Notifications received today.
• Yesterday -- Notifications from yesterday.
• Earlier -- All older notifications.

Each group has a header label in uppercase.

Reading a Notification

1. Unread notifications have a light indigo background and a blue dot on the right side.
2. Click on a notification to mark it as read. The background returns to normal and the blue dot disappears.
3. Each notification shows:
   • A type icon in a colored circle on the left.
   • The title in bold (unread) or medium weight (read).
   • A message preview (up to 80 characters, truncated with "...").
   • A relative timestamp (e.g., "Just now", "5m ago", "2h ago", "Yesterday", "3d ago").

Deleting a Notification

1. Hover over a notification to reveal a trash icon on the right.
2. Click the trash icon to delete that notification.
3. The notification is permanently removed from your list.

Loading More Notifications

If you have many notifications:

1. Scroll to the bottom of the notification list.
2. If more notifications are available, a "Load more" button appears.
3. Click "Load more" to fetch the next batch.
4. If all notifications are loaded, the button disappears.

Empty State

If you have no notifications at all, the panel shows:

• A large gray bell icon.
• Text: "No notifications yet"
• Subtext: "You will see exam updates and messages here."

Marking All as Read

1. Open the Notification Center.
2. Click "Mark all read" in the panel header.
3. All unread notifications are instantly marked as read.
4. The unread count badge on the bell icon resets to zero.
5. The "Mark all read" button disappears since there are no more unread items.

Tip: Use "Mark all read" when you return from a break and want to start fresh without going through old notifications one by one.

Notification Preferences

You can customize which notifications you receive and through which channels.

Accessing Notification Preferences

1. Go to your account settings or profile settings page.
2. Find the "Notification Preferences" section.
3. The preferences panel shows a table of notification categories and channels.

Channel Options

For each notification category, you can toggle three channels:

Channel	Description
Email	Receive the notification via email
Push	Receive a browser or mobile push notification
In-App	Show the notification in the Notification Center

Notification Categories

The preferences table has five rows, one for each notification category:

1. Exam Published -- New exams available to take.

   • Email: Toggle on/off
   • Push: Toggle on/off
   • In-App: Toggle on/off

2. Exam Results -- Results published for exams you have taken.

   • Email: Toggle on/off
   • Push: Toggle on/off
   • In-App: Toggle on/off

3. Certificates -- Certificates issued for your achievements.

   • Email: Toggle on/off
   • Push: Not available (N/A)
   • In-App: Toggle on/off

4. Achievements -- Badges earned, level-ups, and streak milestones.

   • Email: Toggle on/off
   • Push: Toggle on/off
   • In-App: Toggle on/off

5. System Updates -- Platform announcements and maintenance notices.

   • Email: Toggle on/off
   • Push: Toggle on/off
   • In-App: Toggle on/off

Toggling a Preference

1. Find the row for the notification category.
2. Click the toggle switch in the Email, Push, or In-App column.
3. The switch turns indigo when enabled and gray when disabled.

Tip: The In-App toggle controls all in-app notifications at once. If you disable it for one category, it affects the global in-app setting.

Setting Up Quiet Hours

Push notifications can be silenced during specific hours (e.g., overnight).

1. In the Notification Preferences panel, find the "Quiet Hours (Push Notifications)" section.
2. The description reads: "Push notifications will be silenced during these hours."
3. Set the From time using the time picker (e.g., 10:00 PM).
4. Set the To time using the time picker (e.g., 7:00 AM).
5. Push notifications that arrive during quiet hours will be held until the quiet period ends.

Saving Your Preferences

1. After making your changes, click the "Save Preferences" button at the bottom right.
2. A loading spinner appears while saving.
3. A success toast notification confirms: "Notification preferences saved".

Setting Up Push Notifications

Push notifications deliver alerts to your browser or mobile device even when you are not actively using Testify.

Enabling Push Notifications in Your Browser

1. When you first enable push notifications in your preferences, your browser may ask for permission.
2. Click "Allow" in the browser permission dialog.
3. Once allowed, push notifications will appear as desktop or mobile alerts.

Common Push Notification Scenarios

• Exam starting soon -- A push notification reminds you 15-30 minutes before an exam begins.
• Results published -- You receive a push alert when your exam results are ready.
• Achievement unlocked -- A push notification celebrates your new badge or level-up.

Troubleshooting Push Notifications

If push notifications are not working:

1. Check that push is enabled in your Notification Preferences.
2. Verify that your browser has permission to send notifications. Go to your browser settings and look for site permissions.
3. Make sure you are not in Quiet Hours.
4. Ensure your browser or device is connected to the internet.

Tip: Push notifications work best on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Safari support may be limited on some devices.

Email Notifications

Email notifications are sent to the email address associated with your Testify account.

Types of Email Notifications

• Exam Published emails -- Notify you when a new exam is available.
• Exam Results emails -- Inform you when results are ready, often with a summary of your score.
• Certificate emails -- Let you know when a certificate has been issued.
• Achievement emails -- Celebrate badges and milestones.
• System emails -- Platform updates and maintenance alerts.

Managing Email Volume

If you receive too many emails:

1. Go to Notification Preferences.
2. Disable email for categories that are less important to you.
3. Keep email enabled for critical categories like Exam Results and Certificates.

In-App Notification Behavior

In-app notifications appear in the Notification Center and are the primary way Testify communicates with you during active sessions.

Real-Time Updates

• New notifications can arrive while you are using the platform.
• The unread count badge on the bell icon updates automatically.
• Open the Notification Center to see new notifications at the top of the list.

Notification Persistence

• Notifications remain in your Notification Center until you delete them.
• Read notifications stay in the list but without the blue dot and indigo background.
• There is no automatic expiration for notifications.

Exam Reminder Notifications

Exam reminders are among the most important notifications for students.

When You Receive Exam Reminders

• When a new exam is published and assigned to your class.
• A set time before the exam starts (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day before).
• When the exam window is about to close.

Acting on an Exam Reminder

1. Open the notification to read the full details.
2. Note the exam name and start time.
3. Navigate to your exam dashboard to find and start the exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I get notifications on my phone? Yes. If you access Testify through a mobile browser and enable push notifications, you will receive alerts on your phone. If Testify is installed as a PWA (Progressive Web App), notifications work even more reliably.

Q: Will I get a notification when my teacher publishes results? Yes, if you have Exam Results notifications enabled (which they are by default). You will receive an in-app notification, and optionally an email and push notification.

Q: Can I mute all notifications temporarily? Set Quiet Hours in your notification preferences to silence push notifications during specific hours. For complete silence, disable all three channels for each category.

Q: Do deleted notifications come back? No. Once you delete a notification, it is permanently removed.

Q: How far back do notifications go? Notifications persist indefinitely. You can scroll back and load older notifications using the "Load more" button.

Q: Can my teacher see my notification preferences? No. Your notification preferences are private to your account.