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Examination Center vs Notebook Workflows
Notebooks are strong teaching tools. Coding exams need a narrower runtime with timing, monitoring, recovery, and records designed for assessment conditions.
Examination Center is in early access — we're onboarding institutions through our Early Access Program. The information here describes our current platform and direction and may evolve; it is not a contractual commitment.
Key differences
| Examination Center | Notebook workflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Controlled coding exams | Exploration, teaching, research, and lab work |
| AI/autocomplete in exam workspace | Off by design | Often available through extensions or platform features |
| Live instructor monitoring | Built in | Usually not exam-native |
| Recovery | Autosave and session recovery designed for exam disputes | Depends on notebook storage and infrastructure |
| Operational burden | No student installs; no notebook server for Python exams | Often requires accounts, kernels, server capacity, or local setup |
| Evidence | Integrity alerts and session records for instructor review | Usually file history or manual logs |
When to choose Examination Center
Use notebooks all term for learning and exploration; use Examination Center when the sitting itself needs consistent runtime, live monitoring, recoverable work, and evidence for review.
Related
vs Google Colab · vs JupyterHub · Python lab exams
FAQ
Is Examination Center a notebook?
No. It is a controlled coding-exam environment, not a general notebook for learning or research.
Can students still run real code?
Yes. Python runs in the browser, while C, C++, Fortran, and Java run in secure sandboxes.
Does it judge integrity automatically?
No. It surfaces alerts and evidence for instructor review; it never issues automated verdicts.