Classroom exam timer
A large, quiet countdown for the front of the room. Pick a time, press Start, and switch to full screen to project it while students work on their bubble sheets.
Choose a time
Keyboard: Space starts and pauses, F toggles full screen, Esc leaves it.
Running a test with the timer
- Choose a preset or type your own number of minutes. The clock shows the full time and waits.
- Hand out the sheets and read your instructions first. Press Start when students begin, not before.
- Press Full screen to project it. The digits scale to the display, and the controls stay underneath within reach.
- Watch for the labels. At five minutes the clock reads “5 minutes left”, and at one minute “1 minute left”. At zero it reads “Time is up” and, unless muted, beeps.
Why a visible clock helps
Students pace themselves better when they can see how much time is left, and a clock at the front saves you from answering “how long do we have?” a dozen times. It also keeps the end of the test clean: everyone sees the same zero at the same moment, so there is less room for a dispute about whether time had really been called.
Choosing a length
The four presets are common class-period lengths, not recommendations. A short quiz, a timed section of a longer practice test and a full period each need a different amount of time, and your own test decides it. Practice sections for a standardized test should follow the timing printed on that material; see how to set up ACT-style practice tests for a way to organize one. For anything else, use the custom box.
If you need to be generous on the day, Add 5 minutes extends the clock without restarting it. The timer has one clock for the whole room. Students with an approved plan for extra time need a second timer, or a note of their own finishing time, so set that up before the test begins.
Accuracy, screens and sound
The timer measures the time left from the device clock rather than by counting intervals. That matters because browsers slow down pages that are hidden or in the background, and a timer that counts intervals would drift. This one recalculates every time it redraws, so it catches up the moment you look at it. In browsers that support it, the page also asks the display not to sleep while the clock is running. If you are projecting, still turn off the screen saver in your own settings.
Everything runs in the page you have open. It does not need an account and it does not save or send anything. Reload or close it and the countdown is gone, so keep it open until the test ends.
Before the test: sheets and grading
- Pick a printable bubble sheet that matches the number of questions, or build your own.
- Print one copy first and check it at actual size.
- Read the marking tips aloud so smudged and half-filled bubbles do not cost anyone marks.
- Afterward, turn counts into grades with the test grade calculator.
Exam timer questions
Can I show the timer full screen on a projector or smartboard?
Yes. Press the Full screen button and the clock fills the display with large, high-contrast digits and the controls underneath. Press Esc, or the same button, to leave full screen. If your browser does not offer full screen, the button is hidden and you can use the browser’s own full-screen key instead.
Will the timer stay accurate if I switch tabs or the screen dims?
The timer works out the time left from the clock each time it redraws, rather than counting intervals, so a tab that the browser slows down in the background still shows the right time when you return. Keep the page open until the test ends, because closing or reloading it resets the countdown.
Does the timer make a sound when time runs out?
It plays a short series of beeps at zero, generated by your browser with no audio file. Browsers only allow sound after you have interacted with the page, so press Start first. Turn off the Beep at zero button if you would rather end the test yourself.
Can I set a time that is not one of the presets?
Yes. Type any whole number of minutes from 1 to 300 in the custom box and press Set. You can also add five minutes at any point, whether the clock is running, paused or finished, for the day a class needs a little longer.
What do the 5-minute and 1-minute warnings do?
When five minutes remain, the label under the clock changes to “5 minutes left” and the digits change color; at one minute it changes to “1 minute left”. The words are there as well as the color, so the warning does not depend on seeing a color. A countdown shorter than the warning does not start with one.
Does the timer save anything or send information anywhere?
No. It makes no network requests while it runs, stores nothing in your browser and collects nothing about the class. The only thing it changes outside the page is the browser tab title, which shows the time left so you can see it from another window.