TCExam

Overview

TCExam is an assessment system for educators and trainers who need to create, run, and report on quizzes, tests, and exams. It is best suited to organizations able to manage their own server deployment. Its strongest case is the combination of browser and paper workflows; its main trade-off is the technical responsibility of running the system.

Key features

Authors can create single-answer and multiple-answer multiple-choice questions, ordering questions, and free-answer questions. A question bank, bulk question import, and TSV, XML, and PDF exchange for users, questions, and results support repeatable assessment workflows. The supported question formats cover common exam needs, but are not evidence of broader specialist question types.

Administrators can schedule assessments, monitor test-taker activity, adjust test time, manually grade text answers, export results, and review statistics. Account-based access, group and IP restrictions, server-side timing, activity logs, and randomly generated test variants give administrators useful control over access and exam conditions.

Test-takers use a standard browser without installing software or plugins. RADIUS, LDAP, and CAS authentication modules, plus support for custom authentication methods, make TCExam more adaptable to an organization's login setup. For paper-based exams, it can generate printable tests and score scanned OMR answer sheets automatically, extending it beyond browser-only delivery.

The interface follows WCAG 2.1 level AA and includes 26 translations, including right-to-left language support. The project also welcomes contributions through GitHub issues and pull requests, including bug reports, fixes, documentation, translations, and feature work.

Pricing

The Open-source license costs free under GNU AGPL-3.0-or-later. It is the straightforward choice for organizations that can work within that license and handle deployment themselves.

The Commercial license has custom pricing and is described as an alternative license for overcoming some restrictions of the free license.

There is no paid feature ladder or usage quota attached to the free plan in the stated terms. The central cost is operational: the organization must deploy and maintain the software on a supported server stack.

Platforms

TCExam is self-hosted and web-based, with Linux, macOS, and Windows listed as platforms. Deployment can use Docker or a manual PHP, web-server, and database stack. Version 17 requires PHP 8.2 or newer and supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or Oracle. These requirements give technically equipped teams flexibility, but make TCExam a poor fit for buyers seeking a ready-hosted service with no server administration.

Who it's for

TCExam suits schools, training providers, and other organizations that need to manage exams in-house, especially when paper tests, OMR scoring, configurable access controls, or integration with existing authentication matter. It is less suitable for a small team that wants a managed platform and has no capacity to deploy and maintain a PHP application.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Browser-based delivery avoids client installations, while printable tests and scanned OMR scoring cover paper workflows too.
• Pros: Authentication modules, access restrictions, server-side timing, activity logs, and random variants give administrators meaningful exam controls.
• Pros: WCAG 2.1 AA conformance and 26 translations, including right-to-left support, make the interface relevant to a broad range of users.
• Cons: Version 17 requires PHP 8.2 or newer and a supported database, so deployment and maintenance demand technical capacity.
• Cons: The stated question formats are limited to multiple-choice, ordering, and free-answer questions; teams needing other specialist formats should check fit before committing.
• Cons: The free license is GNU AGPL-3.0-or-later, and the commercial alternative is intended for some license restrictions rather than a published fixed-price tier.

Alternatives

Online Exam Software is the broader category to explore when comparing exam tools beyond TCExam.

• Eklavvya may fit teams wanting a freemium option with stated exam and storage caps: its free plan includes 25 exams and 1 GB storage.
• Numbas is another free, open-source option for organizations comfortable installing and running an LTI tool; it has no public LTI hosting instance.
• SpeedExam may suit a team seeking a defined free allowance of 25 exam attempts per month, 2,000 questions, and 100 MB storage, or a paid Professional tier at $37 a month.
• TAO is worth considering for a hosted free starting tier with one author seat, 3,000 AI credits per month, and 50 learner test attempts per month.
• ThinkExam is another freemium exam platform to compare.
• MegaExams offers a free plan with unlimited exams, questions, students, and teachers, with all features included.
• OpenEMIS Admissions is a free open-source option with no licensing fees for self-hosted web use.
• Wheebox is a paid alternative to consider.

Verdict

Choose TCExam if your organization can self-host and wants one system for controlled browser exams and printable tests with OMR scoring. Its breadth of administrative controls and free open-source license are compelling for technically capable teams. Look elsewhere if you need managed hosting or cannot meet the PHP and database requirements.