Next-Exam — Digital Examination Environment

Next-Exam is a free, open-source digital examination environment recommended by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education (BMB) for all Austrian schools. It enables secure digital exams on laptops and tablets — without complex IT infrastructure.

Exam Modes

How an Exam Works

For Students

For Teachers

Security Features

• Screenshot monitoring of student devices
• Website and application blocking during exams
• Multi-screen lockdown
• Optional password-protected offline mode
• Automatic backup every 6 minutes
• No data collection by Next-Exam itself
• macOS & iPad: Apple Assessment Mode — the system itself locks app switching and keyboard shortcuts (since 2.1)
• Windows: optional kiosk mode with a temporary user account; Linux: Cage mode for final exams
• Can be used instead of Safe Exam Browser (SEB), e.g. for eduvidual/Moodle tests
• Encrypted exam files and digitally signed submission PDFs

Quick Fixes & Common Problems

Started the wrong version (Student vs. Teacher)

A common mistake: students accidentally start the Teacher app instead of the Student app. How to tell the difference:

App won't start / white screen

• Start the app from a folder (Desktop or Downloads) — not directly from the browser download
• On Windows: Right-click → "Run as administrator"
• On macOS: If the app is blocked on first launch → System Settings → Privacy & Security → "Open Anyway"
• On Linux: AppImage must be executable: chmod +x Next-Exam-Student*.AppImage

Can't connect to teacher server

• Are you on the correct WiFi? (Student WiFi, not guest WiFi)
• Are server address and PIN exact? (Case sensitive)
• Is the firewall blocking? Port 22422 (TCP) and 6024/6025 (UDP) must be allowed
• Restart the app and reconnect

macOS: Black screen

Next-Exam needs screen recording permission on macOS. Go to: Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen and System Audio Recording → enable Next-Exam → restart the app.

Work lost / file not saved

• Next-Exam auto-saves every 6 minutes
• Additionally: press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Cmd+S (Mac) regularly
• The teacher can recover the last backup from the local work folder

Windows security warning on start

Since version 2.1 the Windows versions are digitally signed. If Windows still shows a SmartScreen warning, click "More info" → "Run anyway".

Download blocked by Edge

Microsoft Edge sometimes blocks the download. Use Firefox or Chrome to download.

Can I print during the exam?

No. Printer access is blocked during a Next-Exam session. If the teacher wants a printout, this is done after the exam ends via the Teacher computer.

Can I change the font size?

Yes. In Language mode the font size can be adjusted via the menu. In other modes (e.g. Microsoft 365) the settings of the respective application apply.

Does Next-Exam need to be installed?

No. The Windows EXE and the Linux AppImage are portable and can be run directly from a folder. Only the MSI variant (Windows) performs a traditional installation. On macOS the app is dragged from the DMG to the Applications folder as usual.

Does Next-Exam work without the internet?

Yes — for Mathematics and Languages modes, no internet is required. A local school network (Wi-Fi) is sufficient for the student and teacher apps to connect. The online modes Microsoft 365, Moodle, Forms (Google/Microsoft Forms), and Website require internet access.

Is my screen being recorded?

Not continuously. The teacher can take live screenshots of student devices. Automatic screenshots are only created when a student attempts to leave the exam environment. There is no video streaming or permanent monitoring.

What happens if there is a crash / power failure?

Next-Exam automatically saves every 6 minutes to the Teacher computer. In case of a crash, the last backup can be restored. Additionally, regular saving with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S is recommended.

Can I use copy & paste?

Copy & paste works normally within the exam environment. However, pasting externally copied content is blocked, as the clipboard is cleared when the exam starts.

Downloads — Current Version: 2.1.0.3

Released 22 September 2026. All downloads from GitHub (Bildungsportal/next-exam).

Student App

Teacher App

Version History

Version 2.1.0.3 — 22 September 2026

Patch release: GeoGebra update (incl. statistics and regression), fixes for spell check and printing, PIN codes starting with 0 now work, digitally signed Windows builds.

Version 2.1.0.2 — 11 September 2026

Patch release: the Education Portal connection now uses the production environment by default; fixes for portal login and exam status.

Version 2.1 — 10 September 2026

• Completely redesigned Teacher dashboard (groups in all modes, submission overview, exam log, time limit)
• iPad version of the Student app (iOS Assessment Mode)
• Connection to the Education Portal — prepare and load exams centrally
• New modes ActiveSheets (PDF worksheets with digital marking) and local VM
• More security: macOS Assessment Mode, optional Windows kiosk mode, Linux Cage mode, SEB compatibility
• Printing rebuilt, Microsoft Forms in forms mode

Version 1.1.3 — 19 March 2026

Last release of the 1.x series (bug fixes).

Full release notes on GitHub

BMB Rollout Timeline

Further Links