A computer-implemented method for conducting an online test of a team. This is done by presenting each member with a questionnaire of the same difficulty level, but with different questions selected from a multi-category questions database. Each category in the database (like English grammar or C-programming) has questions labeled easy, medium or hard (manually or by using clustering algorithms) in a certain proportion.
The questionnaire for each individual (called an extended set) is created by making sets of questions (called unique sets) by selecting unique questions from every category and then modifying these sets to ensure that they have at most only 3 questions in common, while retaining a uniform difficulty distribution.
The test engine accepts and evaluates individual answers to display the combined score of the team. It stores the scores and uses it to improve their difficulty tagging for each question. The system permits the team to appear for the exam simultaneously during a specific pre- booked time slot, ensuring fairness and robustness of the system.
Figure (1) A timeline of the procedures followed leading up to the conduction of the test; (2) A screenshot of the test interface; (3) Graph showing the difference in the difficulty tagging before (Ti) and after (Tj) the test; (4) Graph showing the user experience rating as reported by the test takers.
Present test conduction systems involve traditional paper-based tests or online computer- based tests. Printed questionnaires involve a lot of manual labor and management for conduction and evaluation. Computer systems mitigate much of the manual work, enabling fast and accurate corrections. They however, are subject to challenges like cheating via unfair means, test-taker authentication, unauthorized access to questions/answers and ensuring machine compatibility for all test-takers. Thus, there is a need for a computer-based testing system which can offer a secure, reliable and fair conduction of tests for all involved test- takers.
- Same difficulty level with unique questions: the questionnaire given to each examinee have unique questions but are the same in difficulty level
- Multi-category question database: the questionnaire is made using questions from multiple categories in the database, making the system adaptable for any exam
- Fast and accurate evaluation: the system is equipped with an answers database which enables it to display the evaluated stores quickly
- Improve question difficulty classification: after every test, the performance of the students in that iteration of the test is used to update the difficulty tags of questions
The invention is deployed as selection procedure for different e-Yantra initiatives and is operational at https://selectiontest.e-yantra.org. The system enables secure and fair online testing by assigning personalized question sets of uniform difficulty to each test-taker. It incorporates a multi-category question database, answer evaluation engine, and an adaptive tagging mechanism for difficulty refinement. The platform has been integrated into e-Yantra's program workflows and supports team-based testing, slot management, and automated scoring—demonstrating scalability and real-world robustness.
The technology has been successfully deployed and is currently in active use by the e-Yantra project at IIT Bombay for conducting online selection tests across its various initiatives. It has been tested at scale in live environments with real users and multiple test cycles. Given its operational deployment and stability, the technology is at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 9—indicating a system that is fully developed, tested, and ready for commercial or institutional deployment.
9
The invention allows for reliable conduction of tests, giving an equal and fair opportunity to all candidates with low possibility of foul play in examinations, leading to higher merit-based selections.
- Standardizing College Entrance Examinations: Enables secure, uniform, and scalable online testing for academic admissions across institutions.
- Initial Screening for Team Competitions: Efficiently handles large applicant pools by assigning personalized, balanced-difficulty questionnaires to each candidate.
- Interview Exams: Supports pre-interview assessments with automated scoring to streamline candidate evaluation.
Geography of IP
Type of IP
201621025126
519701