ONLINE EXAMINATION

ABSTRACT

Online examination is the process of conducting the exam through online.

The user who has to undergo the exam has to login to the system with proper

authentication from administrator. The administrator has the rights to create

account for the users and can configure the subject and the number of questions for

the exam.

Various reports can be generated to view the results in well organized

manner. This project is designed such a way that it can be used in training centers

to conduct exams.

The project is designed in modular way. The modules of this project are

Master, Exam and Report. Master module is used for adding student names,

subjects, questions and examiners. Exam module is responsible for conducting the

exam. The specified students mark will be displayed at the end.

This project will be developed using ASP .Net as front end with SQL Server

as backend.

INTRODUCTION

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

The first step in the software development life cycle is the identification of

the problem. As the success of the system depends largely on how accurately a

problem is identified.

The project entitled “ONLINE EXAMINATION SYSTEM” developed for

the computerization of the work done in online examination to the client. The

System is developed using ASP.Net 2005 as front end and Sql Server 2005 back

end, which works in .Net framework version 2.0.

Online Examination System (OES) is a Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

based examination system that provides an easy to use environment for both

Administrator and Students appearing for Examination. The main objective of OES

is to provide all the features that an Examination System must have, with the

“interfaces that doesn’t Scare it’s Users!” . The purpose of the system is to test the

Domain knowledge of the students with respect to the particular technology. The

manual procedure used for conducting exam is time consuming process and error

prone due to human limitations. The System purpose is to completely automate the

manual procedure of conducting exam to Web Based Examination System.

Administrator Module

Candidate Module

Staff Module

Report Generation

Admin has to generate question pattern as per exam categories like C,

DBMS, VB.Net, Java, Computer Networks, Linux and Aptitude. Admin has rights

to view the score of each student. After login, candidates are allowed to take part in

the exam. Questions are multiple choices. They can select the correct choice for

every question and so on. Candidate can get the result from admin. Students from

any location with facility can write exam. No need to wait for result, results will be

displayed as soon as test is completed.

SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT

HARDWARE SPECIFICATION

This section gives the details and specification of the hardware on which the

system is expected to work.

Processor : Intel (R) core (TM) i3-21000

Clock speed : 1.7 GHz

RAM : 1 GB

Hard disk : 160 GB

Monitor : VGA/SVGA

Keyboard : Logitech

Mouse : Logitech (3 Buttons)

SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS

This section gives the details and specification of the software that are used

for the development.

Operating System : Windows 2000/XP

Front end : ASP .Net

Back end : SQL Server

SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

THE .NET FRAMEWORK

The goal in application development is always the same: create the best

possible software in the least amount of time. Yet the bar is continually raised, as

demands from customers increase. To meet these demands, the platforms

developers build on and the tools they use must get better and better evolvement

needed compulsorily.

The .NET Framework provides a clear example of this. First released in

2002, version 2.0 of the Framework appeared three years later. The .NET

Framework 3.0, released in 2006, was a major update that added a number of new

technologies, while the latest version, the .NET Framework 3.5, includes more

useful additions.

Alongside this evolution, Microsoft’s flagship tool for creating .NET

applications has also moved forward. The latest release, Visual Studio 2008, offers

a range of improvements for creating .NET applications. Every step in this path has

been aimed at providing a better and more productive environment for the people

who create Windows software.

This overview provides a big-picture view of the .NET Framework 3.5.

While a basic knowledge of the .NET Framework is assumed, this description

focuses on the technologies added in the .NET Framework 3.0 and 3.5. The goal is

to make clear what this widely used foundation for Windows applications provides

today.

The Challenges of Building Modern Applications

Creating a modern application is not a simple task—the requirements are

substantial. Traditional concerns such as creating effective business logic and

allowing access via a Web browser are still important, but that concerns no longer

enough. Modern applications present a range of new challenges, including the

following:

Users increasingly expect Web browser interfaces to act like installed

Windows applications. Loading a new page whenever something has changed is no

longer sufficient it’s just too slow. What’s needed is better support for responsive

browser applications.

Data remains central to most applications. How that data can be represented,

however, has expanded considerably. Relational data is still important, as is

mapping between objects and relations. Yet the amount of data represented using

XML continues to increase, a trend that’s not likely to change. And even though

it’s not always viewed in this way, a running program’s objects also contain data.

A technology that allowed consistent access to diverse data would help developers

create applications in less time and with fewer errors.

Applications commonly communicate with other applications, both inside

and outside the organization. Modern applications also must often fit into a

service-oriented architecture (SOA), exposing some of their functionality as

interoperable services accessible by other software. Achieving these goals requires

support for service-oriented applications.

Organizations are increasingly taking a process-oriented view of what need

to do. Since most applications automate some part of a business process, it can be

useful to make the steps in this process explicit in the code. An effective way to do

this is by using workflow technology, an approach that requires support for

workflow-based applications.

The requirements for a modern user interface have grown significantly.

Providing real business value can commonly require working with various kinds of

documents, using two- and three-dimensional graphics, displaying video, and

more. Meeting these needs requires a unified approach to diverse user interfaces.

The people who use an application commonly need a way to convey

information about who they are. Many different technologies for defining and

using a digital identity are in use, and problems such as phishing are common.

Given this, a modern application and the people who use it can benefit from

consistent user control of digital identities.

Given that today’s applications commonly need to tackle some or all of

these challenges, the platform those applications are built on should also address

all of them. The goal of the .NET Framework 3.5 is to do this for Windows

software.

.Net Framework Components

Visual Basic sits at the top of the framework (along with the other

languages in Visual Studio.net). Below that is the Common Language

Specification (CLS). This specification is a set of rules that govern the minimum

language features that must be supported to ensure that a language will interoperate

with other CLS-compliant components and tools. As long as a language conforms

to the CLS, it is guaranteed to work with the CLR. In this way, when third-party

compilers target the .net framework, as long as they conform to the CLS, the code

is guaranteed to work.

User might also notice that VB is now and “equal” or peer of C++, C# and

any other language that is .net compliant. Visual Basic.net shares the same

variable types, arrays, user-defined types, classes, graphical forms, visual controls

and interfaces as these other languages.

Web Services

Web Services provide a Web-enabled user interface with tools that include

various HTML controls and Web controls. Forms creating using Web Services are

the same as forms created for a Windows application. The code behind a Web

form is the same as the code behind a Windows form. The markup language that is

used by Web forms is still there, but the Web form applications generate it for user.

User Interface

At the same level as Web Services is the User Interface. The User Interface

is where Windows forms live. It also provides code for drawing to the screen,

printing, rendering text and displaying images.

Data and XML

Both Web Services and the User Interface sit on top of the Data and XML

block. As user will learn later in this paper, XML (or extensible markup language)

plays just as important of a role as data. XML is used to provide a text view of

data that can be shared between services on the same PC or passed through a

firewall to a web server across the country using SOAP (more on SOAP a little

later).

Base Class Library

The base class library (BCL) is underneath the Data and XML block. This area is

the origin for the base class of all .net programs. Everything in Visual Basic.net is

an object, and all objects originate from a class named System. The BCL also

provides collections, localization, text objects, interoperability with non-.net code

and ActiveX controls and a variety of other services.

The Common Language Runtime

At the base of the .net framework is the common language runtime (CLR).

Much like the Java Virtual Machine, the CLR is needed to make .net code run on

any machine. The CLR is a set of resources that any .net program can take

advantage of, from any .net-supported language. All languages will be more equal

in capability than they ever have before.

The CLR includes support for the BCL, where the architecture for controls

and forms actually live. It is also responsible for managing threads and exceptions

(replacing the Err object in VB 6). Garbage collection is also handled by the CLR.

The CLR takes code generated by VB and converts it to the native language

of the current platform. Through this conversion, the magic of multi-platform

execution is achieved. Now VB programmers can write code in VB syntax and the

CLR is responsible for converting it to any platform that can run the CLR.

The programmer is removed several layers from the hardware and doesn’t

really need to know what platform his/her code is running on. One additional

service of the CLR is handling bad code. User have probably heard stories of

rogue code that overran buffers and trashed a machine, killing all other programs

along with it. By design, this cannot happen with code written in Visual Basic.net.

System Namespace

The System namespace includes all classes that represent the base data types

used by all Visual Basic.net applications. In .net, all of the base data types are

Object, Byte, Char, Array, and so on. Many of these correspond to the data type in

classic VB.

In addition to the base data types, the System namespace contains nearly 100

classes that provide functionality ranging from handling exceptions and forming

delegates to dealing with the core run-time concepts such as application domains

and the automatic memory manager. The System namespace also contains 25

second-level namespaces.

FEATURES OF SQL SERVER

A database management, or DBMS, gives the user access to their data and helps

them transform the data into information. Such database management systems

include dBase, paradox, IMS, SQL Server and SQL Server. These systems allow

users to create, update and extract information from their database.

A database is a structured collection of data. Data refers to the

characteristics of people, things and events. SQL Server stores each data item in

its own fields. In SQL Server, the fields relating to a particular person, thing or

event are bundled together to form a single complete unit of data, called a record

(it can also be referred to as raw or an occurrence). Each record is made up of a

number of fields. No two fields in a record can have the same field name.

During an SQL Server Database design project, the analysis of your business

needs identifies all the fields or attributes of interest. If your business needs

change over time, you define any additional fields or change the definition of

existing fields.

SQL SERVER TABLES

SQL Server stores records relating to each other in a table. Different tables

are created for the various groups of information. Related tables are grouped

together to form a database.

PRIMARY KEY

Every table in SQL Server has a field or a combination of fields that

uniquely identifies each record in the table. The Unique identifier is called the

Primary Key, or simply the Key. The primary key provides the means to

distinguish one record from all other in a table. It allows the user and the database

system to identify, locate and refer to one particular record in the database.

RELATIONAL DATABASE

Sometimes all the information of interest to a business operation can be

stored in one table. SQL Server makes it very easy to link the data in multiple

tables. Matching an employee to the department in which they work is one

example. This is what makes SQL Server a relational database management

system, or RDBMS. It stores data in two or more tables and enables you to define

relationships between the table and enables you to define relationships between the

tables.

FOREIGN KEY

When a field is one table matches the primary key of another field is referred

to as a foreign key. A foreign key is a field or a group of fields in one table whose

values match those of the primary key of another table.

REFERENTIAL INTEGRITY

Not only does SQL Server allow you to link multiple tables, it also

maintains consistency between them. Ensuring that the data among related tables

is correctly matched is referred to as maintaining referential integrity.

DATA ABSTRACTION

A major purpose of a database system is to provide users with an abstract

view of the data. This system hides certain details of how the data is stored and

maintained. Data abstraction is divided into three levels.

Physical level: This is the lowest level of abstraction at which one describes how

the data are actually stored.

Conceptual Level: At this level of database abstraction all the attributed and what

data are actually stored is described and entries and relationship among them.

View level: This is the highest level of abstraction at which one describes only

part of the database.

ADVANTAGES OF SQL

Redundancy can be avoided

Inconsistency can be eliminated

Data can be Shared

Standards can be enforced

Security restrictions ca be applied

Integrity can be maintained

Conflicting requirements can be balanced

Data independence can be achieved.

SYSTEM STUDY

System Analysis is the process of gathering and interpreting facts,

diagnosing problems and using the information to recommend improvements to the

existing system. The major steps are defining Software Requirements, studying the

present system to verify the problem and defining the performance expected by the

management team to meet the user expectations.

EXISTING SYSTEM

In this existing system the centre examinations are conducted by a written

theme. In that method, the Examiner as well as the students was insisted to make

more efforts. The Examiner has to prepare questions in papers & make them

multiple copies by using carbon papers (or) Xerox machines. The question papers

are saved in the files. Even though the Examiner was so aware in saving his

question papers they may decay in the course of time. The students should answer

the questions & to submit the answer sheets. The answer sheets are collected in a

file by the Examiner.

DRAWBACKS

The answer sheets may be missed.

The Examiner has to correct the papers & the results are announced to the

students later.

This method of conducting Examination takes more time & efforts of both

the students & Examiner.

In addition to these consequences in the course of time, the question &

answer sheet may be decayed.

PROPOSED SYSTEM

Online Examination is a project work of conducting Exams to a group of

students in a specified centre. The Examiner arranged the questions in the system.

The examiner may add more students (or) Examiners for attending and conducting

Examination respectively. He may also modify, delete the students & examiners

from the student’s list & examiners list.

ADVANTAGES

The examiner may also add subjects & questions if necessary. The

unnecessary (or) erroneous questions may be deleted (or) altered from the

set of questions by the Examiner. The marks for the correct answers will be

updated simultaneously.

The specified students mark will be displayed at the end. The additional

advantages are that the students cannot copy from the neighbors. By using

the previous button, they may change the answer what they had selected

already.

This type of conducting examination will save time and effort of both the

students & the examiners.

SYSTEM DESIGN

DATA FLOW DIAGRAM

LEVEL 0

Password

User IDAdmin

Online ExaminationSystem

Login

Invalid Entry

Reports

Exit

A

Selection Details

Displaying Questions

Answers

Answer Validation

Questions

Answer

Results

Displaying FeedbackMark

Logout

LEVEL 1

R

Exam Code

Displaying Mark Details

Mark

Logout

LEVEL 2

Online Exam

Registration Form Login Form

View Marks Form

User ValidationUser

User Details User Details

Subject & Level Selection

Valid User DetailsRegistration Form

Invalid User

A

Selection Details

R

Exam Code

LEVEL 3

DATABASE DESIGN

A table is a collection of data about a specific topic. For example a table can

contain data about customers, suppliers and the products. Tables organize data

into columns (called fields) and rows (called records).

The term database design can be used to describe many different parts of the

design of an overall database system. Principally, and most correctly, it can be

thought of as the logical design of the base data structures used to store the data. In

the relational model these are the tables and views. In an object database the

entities and relationships map directly to object classes and named relationships.

However, the term database design could also be used to apply to the overall

process of designing, not just the base data structures, but also the forms and

queries used as part of the overall database application within the database

management system (DBMS).

Conceptual schema

Once a database designer is aware of the data which is to be stored within

the database, they must then determine where dependency is within the data.

Sometimes when data is changed you can be changing other data that is not visible.

For example, in a list of names and addresses, assuming a situation where multiple

people can have the same address, but one person cannot have more than one

address; the name is dependent upon the address, because if the address is

different, then the associated name is different too. However, the other way around

is different. One attribute can change and not another.

Physical database design

The physical design of the database specifies the physical configuration of

the database on the storage media. This includes detailed specification of data

elements, data types, indexing options and other parameters residing in the DBMS

data dictionary. It is the detailed design of a system that includes modules & the

database's hardware & software specifications of the system.

INPUT DESIGN

Input design must be in such a way that it must control the amount of input,

avoid delay, etc. It must be simple. The input design must ensure user-friendly

screen, with simplicity, providing ease of viewing & entering the data. Every input

data is validating. If the data is not valid, proper error message are displayed.

The main objective of designing input focus on:

Controlling the amount of input required.

Avoiding delayed response.

Controlling errors.

Keeping process simple.

Avoiding errors.

Needless to say, therefore, that the input data is the lifeblood of a system and

have to be analyzed and designed with at most case and consideration. The

decisions made during the input design are

To provide cost effective method of input

To achieve the highest possible level of accuracy

To ensure that input is understand by the user.

System analysis decide the following input design details like, what data to

input, what medium to use, how the data should be arranged or coded, data items

and transaction needing validations to detect errors and at last the dialogue to guide

user in providing input.

OUTPUT DESIGN

Computer output is the most important and direct source of information to

the user. Efficient intelligible output design should improve the system relationship

with the user and help in decision making. Output design generated refers to the

results generated by the system. The output of a system can take many forms. The

most common are screen displays, printed forms and graphical drawings.

The output a screen displays the result for each image process in the project

and also shows the newly draw images and images are presented already in the

system. These screens are being built using Visual Basic Tools. The output screens

are designed in such a way that they generate the results necessary for the

organization.

The normal procedure in developing a system is to design the output in

detail first and then move back to the input. The output will be in the form of

views. The output from the system is required to communicate the result of

processing to the users. They are also used as the permanent copy for later

verifications.

Output Design Consideration

The purpose of outputs has been understood and the efficiency of

information contained should be analyzed and conformed. Then the output have

been defined in terms of

Name of the Output.

Content

Format

Frequency

SYSTEM TESTING AND IMPLEMENTATION

SYSTEM TESTING

Testing is an integral part of any system development life cycle. Insufficient

and untested applications may trend to crash and result in loss of economic and

manpower investment besides user’s dissatisfaction and downfall of reputation.

Software testing can be looked upon as one among the many process, an

organization performs, and that provides the last opportunity to correct any flaws

in the developed system. Software testing includes selecting test data that have

more probability of giving errors.

The first step in system testing is to develop a plan that tests all aspects of

the system. Completeness, correctness, reliability and maintainability of the

software are to be tested for the best quality assurance that the system meets the

specification and requirements for its intended use and performance. System

testing is the most useful practical process of executing a program with the implicit

intention of finding errors that make the program fails.

System testing is done in three phases

Unit testing

Integration testing

Validation testing

UNIT TESTING

The procedure level testing is made first. By giving improper inputs, the

errors occurred are noted and eliminated. Then the web form level testing is made.

For example, storage of data to the table in the correct manner.

In the company as well as seeker registration form, the zero length username

and password are given and checked. Also the duplicate username is given and

checked. In the job and question entry, the button will send data to the server only

if the client side validations are made.

INTEGRATION TESTING

Testing is done for each module. After testing all the modules, the modules

are integrated and testing of the final system is done with the test data, specially

designed to show that the system will operate successfully in all its aspects

conditions. Thus the system testing is a confirmation that all is correct and an

opportunity to show the user that the system works.

VALIDATION TESTING

The final step involves Validation testing, which determines whether the

software function as the user expected. The end-user rather than the system

developer conduct this test most software developers as a process called “Alpha

and Beta Testing” to uncover that only the end user seems able to find. The

compilation of the entire project is based on the full satisfaction of the end users.

MODULES

Login Module

Question upload Module

Examination Module

Report Module

DESCRIPTION

LOGIN MODULE

Login is the main process of this system. It can have all the privileges to do

anything in this system. Admin can get the information regarding upload questions,

reports and various sources.

QUESTION UPLOAD MODULE

In this module adding students, faculty members and administrator images to the

system. Which available for student to ensure that exam. It Allow the faculty

member to control for enable or disable the exam for his students. that saves the

time to rewrite the questions for future course.

EXAMINIATION MODULE

In this module that saves the time to enter a question in the on-line system, if

the teacher needs not the direct answers. Make the order of questions as random, or

select random questions from a set of questions.

REPORT MODULE

The institute while conducting online examinations. they can give any

available exam at any available center as per his/her choice. the results of the

online exam will help a company or institute to list out the outstanding exam takers

all over the country.

Reports can be generated by the admin for various purposes. Based on the

reports admin take decisions of the system. Different kinds of reports can be

generated they are

SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation is process of converting a new or revised system design into

an operational one. The first task is implementation planning that is deciding on

the methods and time scale to be adopted. The proper implementation involves

conversion of existing clerical files to computer media and hence these files as they

are get converted. Then the actual changeover from the existing system to the new

system takes place.

The changeover plays a vital role, which checks the developed tool for the

following requirements, and then only the developed tool will be accepted by the

users. The software has been checked with sample data. The changes being made

are as per the user requirements and will run in parallel with the manual system to

find out any discrepancies. The users also have been apprised of the ways of

handling the software, as a part of training the user personnel.

The implementation is the final stage and it is an important phase. It

involves the individual programming system testing, user training and the

operational running of developed proposed system that constitutes the application

subsystems. On major task of preparing for implementation is education of users,

which would really have taken place much earlier in the project when were being

involved in the investigation and design work. The implementation phase of

software development is concerned with translating design specifications into

source code. The user tests the developed system and changes are made according

to their needs.

In this project, the system is implemented after the testing and preparing the

document for the end user are done. During implementation of the jewellery loan

management system, the information about with stone and without stone, it works

properly. The error is identified and again the system tested. Finally the system

implemented successfully.

CONCLUSION

All the objectives of this online examination system are satisfied. The

intermediate reports can be used for verification, if necessary in future. The system

has been tested with sample data, with original data and the system is found to run

well.

The concern in which the proposed system will be implemented will find it

more efficient. The atmosphere has been made more efficient and interactive. The

functioning of the system can be further enhanced in a number of ways, though an

attempt has been made for security and high reliability.

The newly developed system had simplified the operation for conducting

online examination. It is portable and flexible for further enhancement.

SCOPE FOR FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS

Every application has its own merits and demerits. The project has covered

almost all the requirements. Further requirements and improvements can easily be

done since the coding is mainly structured or modular in nature. Changing the

existing modules or adding new modules can append improvements. This

computerized method is a well-suited application for the real time business

activities. It posses many robust features, still it can be expanded for additional

features.

The requirements may change when technology and time changes. When the

technology and time changes the system has to be enhanced, this system itself

provides us the facility to perform some additional features. Every application has

its own merits and demerits. The project has covered almost all the requirements.

Further requirements and improvements can easily be done since the coding is

mainly structured or modular in nature. Changing the existing modules or adding

new modules can append improvements.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

[1] Alistair McMonnies, “Object-oriented programming in Visual

Studio.NET”, Pearson Education, and ISBN: 81-297-0649-0, First Indian Reprint

2004.

[2] Jittery R.Shapiro, “The Complete Reference Visual Studio .NET” Edition

2002, Tata McGraw-Hill, Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi.

[3] Alenis Leon, “System Analysis & Design”

[4] “An Integral approach to software engineering”, Pankaj Jalole.

[5] Benolt Marchal, .NET by example 2003 – TataMcGraw- Hill.

[6] Ms Access by R.K.TAXALI

[7] Teach Yourself Microsoft Access 2000 by Eddy & Buchanan

WEB SITES

[1] http:\\www.dotnetheaven.com

[2] http:\\www.w3schools.com

[3] http:\\www.builder.com

[4] http:\\www.howstuff.com

APPENDICES

SCREENS

SAMPLE CODE