Starting a Past-Paper Exam
How to pick a paper and begin an Exam Center session.
The Exam Setup Modal is your gateway to the Exam Center. Here's the flow:
Step-by-Step
Open the modal — From the dashboard, click "Exam Center" tile, or from the sidebar click "Exam Center", or visit /exam directly. The Exam Setup Modal opens automatically if no paper is selected.
Pick a subject — Dropdown shows subjects available in your profile (or all if not set). Your enrolled subjects appear first.
Choose year and paper type — Year dropdown (e.g., 2023, 2022, 2021...). Paper type: usually "MCQ" (Paper I) or "Structured/Essay" (Paper II) depending on subject.
Select medium — English, Sinhala, or Tamil (availability depends on the paper).
Click "Start Exam" — all the paper's questions load and your exam session begins.
Countdown begins — A 10-second countdown overlay appears ("Questions are still loading, may take a minute. Keep focusing."). Once questions load, the 2-hour timer starts.
Paper Selection Details
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Subject | Filtered to your profile subjects if set; otherwise all A/L subjects |
| Year | Available years for that subject/paper combo |
| Paper Type | MCQ (Paper I) / Structured (Paper II) — varies by subject |
| Medium | English / Sinhala / Tamil — not all papers have all three |
| Total Questions | Shown in modal (typically 40–60 for MCQ papers) |
Before You Start
Answer Mode: Choose in the Settings dropdown (gear icon) before starting:
- In-Paper — click options directly on each question (default)
- Answer Sheet — separate OMR-style grid; requires index number entry
Timer: Always 2 hours (120 minutes) for A/L MCQ papers. The timer is server-authoritative — refreshing the page doesn't reset it. If the timer hits zero, the exam auto-submits using your profile index number.
Re-taking a Paper
From the dashboard "Recent Activity" or Backpack → Papers, click "Redo" on any completed exam. This starts a fresh attempt on the same paper, tracked separately from your original attempt.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Questions are still loading" stuck for a while | Refresh once — your session persists, so you won't lose your place. |
| "Failed to load exam data" | The paper may have been removed. Try another year/paper. |
| Redirected to login mid-exam | Your session expired. Your answers are saved per-question, so log back in and resume where you left off. |