> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.lena.africa/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Set and run an exam > Create a timed, computer-based exam, import its questions from a spreadsheet, approve it, and release the results. An exam is a timed, multiple-choice test students sit in Lena for Students at a set time. It goes through one more step than a quiz: you publish it, then approve it, and students see it only once it's approved. You do both steps yourself. Approving is your last check before students can see the exam. Only a course's owner and teachers can work with exams. ## How an exam moves along | Stage | What it means | Students see it? | | - | - | - | | **Draft** | You're setting it up. | No | | **Published** | Ready, and waiting to be approved. You can still edit it, or **Move to Drafts** from **⋮**. | No | | **Approved** | Live. Students can take it between the start and end times. | Yes | | **Grading** | It has ended and the results aren't released. | Yes, without results | | **Past** | Results released, or the course has ended. | Yes | The **Exam** page in the sidebar has a tab for each stage. ## Create it **1. Start a new exam** In the sidebar, open the menu beside **New course** and choose **New exam**. You can also go to **Exam** and choose **New**. **2. Name it and set the marking** Choose the **Course**, enter an **Exam title** such as "Mid-semester exam", and the **Marks per question**. The total is worked out from the number of questions. **3. Set the time limit and schedule** Enter the **Time limit (minutes)**; that unlocks the **Schedule**. Pick the **Start** and **End** of the window students can take it in. If your students' connections are patchy, you can also set an **Offline allowance (minutes)**. See [when a student's connection drops](#when-a-students-connection-drops). ![The New exam form with course, title, marks per question, time limit, schedule, the shuffle switches and Who can take this Exam](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx/images/teacher/exam-form.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx\&q=85\&s=76f9e67b30782748242f6b35de1bc06e) A 20-minute exam, open for two days. **4. Choose the rules** **Shuffle questions** gives each student a different question order (we recommend leaving it on). **Shuffle options** does the same for the answers. **Release results automatically** shows students their scores and the answers when the exam ends. **5. Choose who can take it** Under **Who can take this Exam**, tick the groups that can sit it. You choose from the groups already allowed to join the course. Tick nothing and every student on the course can take it. **6. Create it** Choose **Create exam**. If you ticked no groups, Lena checks with you first ("No eligible classes"). The exam is saved as a draft. ## Add questions Open the **Questions** tab. You can add questions one at a time or import many at once. **One at a time:** choose **Add question**. The editor works like the [quiz editor](https://support.lena.africa/teachers/quizzes.md#add-questions): the first option is the correct answer, students see the options in a shuffled order, and **Formula** inserts maths. Exams also have **Image**, to add photos to a question. There's no feedback field. Choose **Save Question**. **From a spreadsheet:** **1. Open the import** Open the menu beside **Add question** and choose **Import questions**. ![The Import questions dialog with a Download template link and a drop zone for an .xlsx file](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx/images/teacher/exam-import-dialog.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx\&q=85\&s=b1fb581c0bd123b8a403cefda8b673e1) Import takes one .xlsx file of up to 5 MB. **2. Fill in the template** Choose **Download template**. Put one question per row, under the headings **Question**, **Option A**, **Option B**, **Option C**, **Option D** and **Correct Answer**. In **Correct Answer**, type the exact text of the right option, not its letter. **3. Upload it** Drop the file in the dialog (Excel .xlsx only, up to 5 MB) and choose **Import**. Lena says how many questions it imported. Rows with problems are listed in the dialog so you can fix them and try again. ## Publish and approve it **1. Publish** Choose **Publish**, then **Publish** in **Publish this Exam?**. Students still can't see it. **2. Approve** Choose **Approve**, then **Approve** in **Approve this Exam?**. The exam is live for the students who can take it. ![The Approve this Exam? dialog](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx/images/teacher/exam-approve-dialog.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx\&q=85\&s=d6874fc490daa56500afa98ea8f093ab) Approving puts the exam in front of students. Both steps need at least one question and run the same date checks as [graded quizzes](https://support.lena.africa/teachers/quizzes.md#publish-it). ![An exam's page with an Approved badge, showing its schedule and rules](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx/images/teacher/exam-approved.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx\&q=85\&s=fcd6d35747f7751e4ea0978e037c2a4e) An approved exam, waiting for its start time. > [!WARNING] > > Check everything before you approve. An approved exam can't be edited or moved back to drafts. You can still change > its questions until the start time; after that they're locked. ## Results The **Submissions** tab lists each student's attempt, highest score first: **In Progress**, **Paused**, **Graded**, **Timed Out** or **Not taken**. An attempt Lena handed in for the student is tagged **Auto-submitted**. Choose **Download** to save the results as an Excel file. ![An exam's Submissions tab listing students with their scores and statuses, and a Download button](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx/images/teacher/exam-submissions.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx\&q=85\&s=1d066c1e7b9d63cdf224abfbb82177d8) Each attempt with its score. When the exam ends, it moves to **Grading**, and students see "Your results aren't released yet". Choose **Release results** at the top of the exam's page, then **Release results** again to confirm. Students see their scores and the correct answers. This can't be undone, and it closes the exam. If you turned on **Release results automatically**, this happens by itself when the exam ends. ## What students face Students sit the exam in full screen. If they leave the page or full screen, they're locked out for a short while. You won't see when this happens in Lena for Teachers. See [exams for students](https://support.lena.africa/students/exams.md). ## When a student's connection drops Students can keep answering offline once they've started. Each answer is saved on their device and sent when they reconnect, and Lena judges it by **when they chose it**, not when it arrived. An answer chosen before time ran out counts if it reaches Lena within 5 minutes of time being up. One chosen after time was up never counts. If 5 minutes isn't enough for your students' connections, set an **Offline allowance (minutes)** when you create or edit the exam: from 0 to 30, and 0 to start with. Answers chosen in time are then taken until that many minutes after time is up. Keep it as short as your students need: results released automatically wait for it too. An answer that reached Lena well after it was chosen shows **Answered offline** on the student's submission. It's not a mark against them, just a note. If a student's hand-in is still on its way when you try to release, Lena asks you to wait: see [troubleshooting](#troubleshooting). ## Good to know * **Duplicate Exam** (from **⋮**) makes a draft copy with its questions; set the dates and who can take it before you publish. **Delete Exam** removes the exam, its questions and any submissions, and can't be undone. * **Assistants and student assistants** don't see exams at all. ## Troubleshooting > [accordion] “Add a question first” > > An exam needs at least one question before you publish or approve it. > [accordion] “Start date cannot be in the past.” > > Pick a start time later than now. > [accordion] “End must be at least 20 minutes after start.” > > The time between **Start** and **End** is shorter than the time limit (20 minutes here). Move the **End** later or > shorten the **Time limit**. > [accordion] “Only .xlsx files are supported” or “File too large” > > Save the spreadsheet as Excel (.xlsx), and keep it under 5 MB. Split a large bank of questions into two files. > [accordion] “3 imported, 2 failed” > > The rows that failed are listed in the dialog with what's wrong. Check that each row's **Correct Answer** matches > one of its options exactly. Fix those rows and import just them again, so the others aren't added twice. > [accordion] “A hand-in may still be on its way from a student whose connection dropped.” > > Time has just run out, and a student's work may still be arriving. Wait a few minutes, then release again. ## Next > [card] [Read the gradebook](https://support.lena.africa/teachers/gradebook-and-insights.md) > > See exam scores alongside assignments and quizzes. > [card] [Exams for students](https://support.lena.africa/students/exams.md) > > What your students see when they sit the exam. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.