Exam Timer

About the exam timer

This free exam timer turns a laptop and a projector into a clear exam clock for the classroom. It shows the name of the exam, the current time, and a very big time left, with a bar that fills up as the exam goes on. Under it, the rules of the exam stay on the screen: "Phones off", "No talking", or your own notes.

At 30 minutes and at 5 minutes before the end, the board shows a warning and changes colour — amber first, then red. You can pick other warnings too, add an optional sound, and give everyone 5 more minutes with one click. When the time is up, the board says so in big letters.

Use it for school tests, university exams, mock exams, quizzes, entrance tests, or any timed task in a room. It runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.

Features

• Big time left — easy to read from the back of the room, with seconds or in minutes only
• Two ways to set it — a length in minutes (press Start), or a start and end time that the board follows by the clock
• Warnings — at 30 and 5 minutes left by default; also 60, 15, 10 or 1 minute; on screen, with an optional sound and notification
• Rules box — your rules and notes on the board, with quick buttons for common rules
• 6 styles — Light, Dark, High contrast, Chalkboard, Blue and Warm paper
• Full screen for the projector — the board fills the screen, and the screen does not go to sleep
• +5 minutes and Pause — add time at any moment; pause a duration timer if the room is disturbed
• Safe on a reload — the running exam is saved, so a reload of the page carries on from the clock

When do the warnings come?

A warning comes when the time left reaches the minutes you picked. The board then shows "30 minutes left" (or 5, 10 …), the time turns amber, and it turns red at your last warning. These examples use the default warnings at 30 and 5 minutes:

If an exam is shorter than a warning (a 20-minute quiz and the 30-minute warning), that warning is skipped. If you add 5 minutes, the warnings move with the new end time.

Duration or start and end time?

• Set a duration — type the length, for example 90 minutes, and press Start when the students begin. You can Pause if there is a fire drill or a problem, and Resume later.
• Set start and end time — type, for example, 9:00 and 11:00, and press Start at any time before. Until 9:00 the board says "Starts in 0:12:30"; from 9:00 it counts the time left until 11:00. This mode follows the clock, so there is no pause. An end time earlier than the start time is read as the next day.

Both modes have +5 min. Use it for extra time for the whole room, or after the end if you want to give a few more minutes.

Tips for the exam room

• Check the screen from the back of the room before the students come in. Choose High contrast for a weak projector or a bright room.
• Keep the rules short. Three or four lines are easier to read than ten.
• Turn the sound on only if you need it. A sound can startle students; the colour change and the big text are usually enough.
• Leave the notification box unticked when the board is on a projector — a pop-up can show on the big screen. Tick it if the board is on a second screen and you work in another window.
• Students with extra time: run a second exam timer in another browser tab or window with their own end time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I show it on a projector or a smart board?

Yes. Press Fullscreen (or the F key). The board fills the screen with the exam name, the clock, the time left and the rules. Press Esc or the button in the corner to leave full screen.

What happens at the 30- and 5-minute warnings?

The board shows "30 minutes left" or "5 minutes left" under the time, flashes once, and the time turns amber, then red at the last warning. If you ticked Play a sound, you also hear a short chime. You can choose other warnings: 60, 15, 10 or 1 minute.

What happens when the time is up?

The board says Time is up and "Pens down, please.", and the time turns red. With the sound on, a longer bell plays. Press +5 min if you want to give more time, or Reset for the next exam.

What if the page is reloaded by mistake?

The running exam is saved in your browser. After a reload, the board carries on with the right time left, because it reads the clock and not a counter.

Will it keep the right time in another tab?

Yes. The timer checks the real clock every second, even when the tab is in the background, so the warnings and the end come on time.

Can I add extra time for the whole class?

Yes. Press +5 min as many times as you need. It works before the start, during the exam and after the end. In start-and-end-time mode, the end time box changes too.

Does the screen go to sleep during a long exam?

Not with Keep the screen on while it runs ticked, in browsers that support it. Also check the power settings of the laptop for a 3-hour exam.

Is anything sent to a server?

No. The exam name, the rules and the times stay in your browser on this computer.

Related tools

• Presentation Timer — green, yellow and red cards for speeches
• Visual Timer — a coloured disc that shrinks, for younger students
• Classroom Noise Meter — a big noise level meter for the class
• Online Clock — a full-screen clock for any room
• Grade Calculator — work out a grade from weighted scores

How to use it

• Type the Exam name, for example "Math final exam"
• Choose Set a duration and type the minutes, or Set start and end time and type both times
• Pick the Warnings you want (30 and 5 minutes are on), and tick Play a sound if you need one
• Write the rules for the board, or tap the quick rule buttons
• Choose a Style and press Fullscreen for the projector
• Press Start; use +5 min to add time, and Reset (twice) to stop the exam