TCExam

Overview

TCExam is a free, open-source assessment platform for educators and trainers creating, delivering, and reporting on quizzes, tests, and exams. It suits organizations that can operate their own web stack and want one system for online and paper-based assessment. The combination is unusually broad, but deployment and maintenance remain your responsibility.

Key features

Authors can build single-answer and multiple-answer multiple-choice questions, ordering questions, and free-answer questions. A question bank and bulk import make recurring courses easier to maintain, while TSV, XML, and PDF exchange covers users, questions, and results. These formats handle mainstream exam workflows, although the documented set does not establish support for specialist question types.

Administrators can schedule tests, monitor activity, change a test-taker's allotted time, manually grade text responses, export results, and inspect statistics. Account-based access, group and IP restrictions, server-side timing, activity logs, and randomly generated test variants give administrators practical control over eligibility and exam conditions. Browser delivery means candidates need only a normal web browser, with no client software or plugins.

RADIUS, LDAP, and CAS modules can connect authentication to existing identity systems, and custom authentication methods allow further adaptation. TCExam also generates printable exams and imports scanned OMR answer sheets for automatic scoring and reporting, making it a better fit than browser-only tools for institutions that still run paper sessions.

Accessibility is a substantive strength: the interface follows WCAG 2.1 level AA and includes 26 translations, including right-to-left language support. The project accepts bug fixes, documentation, translation, and feature contributions through GitHub issues and pull requests, which will appeal to teams comfortable participating in open-source software.

Pricing

TCExam's open-source license costs free under the GNU AGPL-3.0-or-later license. That is the appropriate route for organizations able to comply with the license and run the software themselves; there are no published seat, attempt, storage, or trial limits in this plan.

A commercial license has custom pricing and is described as an alternative for overcoming some free-license restrictions. It may suit organizations that need different licensing terms, but the purchase price and included scope must be agreed directly.

Platforms

TCExam runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows through a self-hosted web deployment. Version 17 requires PHP 8.2 or newer and supports MySQL or MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and Oracle databases. Docker deployment is documented alongside manual installation on a PHP, web-server, and database stack. This flexibility helps infrastructure teams, while the prerequisites make it unsuitable for readers seeking a turnkey hosted service.

Who it's for

Choose TCExam for schools, training providers, and organizations that need controlled online exams, integrated authentication, reusable question banks, and paper/OMR workflows in one installation. It is also a strong candidate where accessibility, localization, and data ownership matter. Look elsewhere if you lack staff to maintain PHP, web-server, and database infrastructure or want a vendor-managed setup with a simple subscription.

Pros and cons

• Pro: One platform supports browser exams, printable papers, and scanned OMR scoring, covering mixed assessment operations.
• Pro: LDAP, RADIUS, CAS, and custom authentication options can fit established identity environments.
• Pro: Server-side timing, access restrictions, logs, and randomized variants provide meaningful exam controls.
• Pro: WCAG 2.1 AA alignment and 26 translations, including right-to-left support, broaden practical accessibility.
• Con: Self-hosting requires PHP 8.2 or newer plus a supported database and ongoing administration.
• Con: The documented question formats are focused on common types, so specialist assessment needs may require another system.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of choices, see Online Exam Software.

Eklavvya is a better fit when you want hosted-style freemium access across Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows, with a free tier capped at 25 exams and 1 GB of storage.

Pick Numbas for a free, open-source option spanning Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosting, web, and Windows, particularly when its LTI-oriented deployment model matches your needs.

SpeedExam suits teams wanting a freemium browser and mobile service; its free tier allows 25 exam attempts per month, 2,000 questions, and 100 MB of storage.

TAO is worth choosing for a free-forever starter plan with one author seat, 3,000 AI credits per month, and 50 learner test attempts per month, plus self-hosted and API platforms.

ThinkExam targets organizations prepared for a paid annual commitment, with its Standard plan priced at $3,125 a month and including 100 users and unlimited quizzes.

Tomax is a paid alternative available across Android, API, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows.

Wheebox is a paid alternative with Android, API, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows support.

Janison Assessment Platform is a paid, organization-focused option with tailored pricing and no free trial.

Verdict

TCExam is the right choice for technically capable educators and training organizations that need open-source control, strong access management, accessible multilingual delivery, and both online and OMR-based exams. Choose it for breadth and licensing freedom; look elsewhere if you want hosted convenience or do not want to run the underlying PHP and database stack.