ExamTeXTurn a PDF into a practice exam
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Most course material ends up as a PDF: exported slides, scanned handouts, a chapter from the textbook, last year’s paper. ExamTeX reads the PDF, writes new exam questions from what is in it, and typesets a print-ready practice exam with a separate answer key. Scanned PDFs are read with OCR, and maths is set in LaTeX so formulas print correctly.
Short answer
How do I turn a PDF into a practice test?
Upload the PDF at examtex.com/create, choose the question mix (multiple choice, short answer, calculation, graph analysis, essay), the difficulty and, if your course follows one, the IB, AP or A-Level exam style, then generate. In about a minute you get an editable, LaTeX-typeset practice exam you can download as a PDF, with an answer key. Scanned PDFs work through OCR. The free plan includes 2 practice exams a month with no card.
How it works
1. Upload the PDF
Drop it on the upload box. Text PDFs are read directly; scanned pages go through OCR. You can add up to 20 files to one exam, so a chapter plus your notes plus a past paper is one upload.
2. Choose the exam format
Pick how many questions of each type, the difficulty, and an exam style if the course follows IB, AP or A-Level. A special instruction such as “chapter 4 only” or “no essays” narrows the exam down.
3. Download, print, sit it
The exam is typeset in LaTeX with proper maths and comes with an answer key. Edit any question in the browser, then download the PDF.
What to know
What kinds of PDF work
Lecture slides exported to PDF, textbook chapters, lab manuals, revision guides, handouts and past papers all work. Scanned documents are read with OCR, so a photographed handout saved as a PDF works too, as long as the text is legible.
New questions, not the PDF’s questions
The exam is written from the content of the PDF, not copied from it. If the PDF is itself an old exam, you get a new paper in the same spirit, which is the point: you cannot memorise the answers to questions you have not seen.
Why a PDF exam rather than an online quiz
A real exam is sat on paper, under time, without a hint button. A printed practice exam rehearses that. Online quiz tools test recognition; a written paper tests recall and working, which is what the exam marks.
Maths and science PDFs
Equations are typeset in LaTeX, so calculus, statistics, physics and economics diagrams print the way they appear in a real paper. Graph-analysis questions describe the diagram to draw or read.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can it read a scanned PDF?
Yes. Scanned pages are read with OCR. Clear scans of printed text work well; faint photocopies and handwriting are less reliable, and a photo of handwritten notes is better uploaded as an image.
How many questions can one exam have?
Up to 35 multiple-choice questions plus 8 written questions (short answer, calculation, graph analysis or essay). You set the mix; the one-click default is 15 multiple choice, 3 short answer and 2 calculation.
Does the answer key come with it?
Yes. Every exam includes worked answers at the end of the PDF, and you can switch the key off for a clean student copy.
Is my PDF kept?
Uploads are used to generate your exam and deleted within 48 hours. Most PDFs are read in your browser and never uploaded at all.
Is it free?
You can try it free, without a card. The free plan includes 2 practice exams a month, with a watermark on the PDF, and generating from the built-in sample notes does not use one of them. Pro costs €9.99 a month for unlimited practice exams without the watermark; the Exam Pass gives you the same for 30 days for a one-time €9.99 and does not renew.
Related
Try it free — no card required
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