Editorial and Data Policy
This policy explains how we research exam facts, write practice questions and keep pages accurate. In short: facts come only from official exam bodies, every fact shows its source and the date we last verified it, all practice questions are original, and missing official data is labeled as unpublished rather than estimated.
Where Exam Facts Come From
Fees, durations, question counts, score scales, pass marks, validity periods and pass rates are taken only from the organization that owns or administers the exam — for example College Board, ACT, ETS, USCIS, CompTIA, NCSBN, FINRA or a state licensing agency. Third-party prep sites are never used as a source for a fact.
Each fact is stored with four pieces of information:
- Source: the official page that states the fact.
- Vintage: the date the source states, or the month we retrieved it when the page is undated.
- Scope: who the fact applies to, such as “US test takers” or “California Class C applicants”.
- Last verified: the date an editor last confirmed the fact against the source.
These details are shown in the fact table at the top of every exam guide. Our build process refuses to publish a numeric fact without a source.
When Official Data Is Missing
If an exam body does not publish a figure — for example a pass rate, a fixed number of questions on an adaptive test or a single national fee — we do not estimate it. The fact table shows “Not published by the exam body” and the related section of the guide is shortened or omitted.
How Practice Questions Are Written
Every practice question is written by our editors for this site, in the style, format and difficulty of the real exam. We do not copy, adapt or paraphrase questions from official tests, released exams, published prep books or other websites. Each question includes the correct answer, an explanation and a short “why” note that explains the underlying rule and the trap in the wrong answers.
The only exception is the US civics test: the civics questions are published by USCIS as public-domain study material, and our civics practice test and flashcards use them with our own explanations.
Questions are reviewed for accuracy against current rules — for example the FDA Food Code for food safety exams, current AHA guidelines for EMT questions and the current exam objectives for IT certifications. Questions that depend on a state-specific rule are only included when that rule has been confirmed in the state’s official manual.
Score Calculators
Score calculators use only conversion rules and tables that the exam body publishes, and each calculator cites them. Where an exam body does not publish a raw-to-scaled table — for example the adaptive digital SAT and GRE — the calculator clearly labels its output as an estimate and explains the method used.
Corrections and Updates
Readers can report errors through our contact form. An editor checks every report against the official source. Confirmed corrections are published promptly, and the page’s last-verified date is updated. Exam facts are re-verified on a regular schedule and whenever an exam body announces a change.
Independence
Online-exams.com is independent and is not affiliated with any exam body. Advertising does not influence what we publish, which exams we cover or how we describe them.