Access and planning
Run an invitation-only exam with a clear access plan
An invitation-only exam narrows who can start the assessment. It still needs clear participant instructions, an accurate invitation list and a rehearsal of the sign-in and access steps.
Choose private access for the right reason
Use a private exam when the assessment belongs to a defined class, cohort or team. Public exams suit open practice and discoverability. Private access is an access control, not a promise of confidential behaviour after someone sees a question. Consider what information the exam contains and avoid including sensitive participant or workplace data in prompts, images and downloadable materials.
Check participant identities before sending
Prepare a deduplicated list of email addresses and confirm which account each person will use. Correct obvious typing errors before issuing invitations and explain that access may depend on the invited account. Use a small internal pilot to check delivery and acceptance. Share a support route in the instructions so that a participant who cannot sign in does not have to guess what to do.
Coordinate access, schedule and plan limits
Check published-exam, invitation and attempt allowances before the group session. Monthly starts and simultaneous active attempts describe different constraints, so estimate both. Explain the exam's time zone and the difference between its closing time and the duration of one attempt. Send a reminder with the access steps and allowed materials, without exposing the whole participant list to the group.
Set an appropriate result-release policy
Decide whether participants can see correct answers immediately, after the examination window or through a later review. An early participant may otherwise share the key while others are still working. When collecting results, limit access to people responsible for the course or team. After the assessment, record access problems separately from learning results so that technical friction does not become a mistaken teaching conclusion.
Before you publish
- The invitation list matches the accounts people will use.
- Time zone, access steps and support instructions are clear.
- Result visibility and plan allowances have been checked.
Questions, answered
- Does a private exam prevent sharing questions?
- No. It controls entry to the exam. Participants can still describe what they saw, so assessment design and result-release policy also matter.
- Must participants pay for an invited exam?
- Author plans determine the author's exam limits. Read the current pricing page for plan details; participant access follows the exam's invitation and account rules.
