examTimer-app-info

Prüfungstimer - iPad Exam Timer App

About

Prüfungstimer is a specialized iPad application designed for synchronized examination timing at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) medical program. The app ensures fair and coordinated exam procedures across multiple examination zones.

Features

📱 iPad Optimized Interface

• Full-screen landscape timer display
• Large, easily readable countdown timers with progress ring
• Split-screen layout with schedule and main timer

⏰ Synchronized Timing

• Real-time synchronization with central exam database
• Automatic timezone handling (Europe/Zurich)
• Clock drift detection and warnings

🔔 Smart Notifications

• Pre-exam warnings (“Startposition einnehmen”)
• Exam start notifications
• Pre-end warnings (“Noch 2 Minuten”)
• Exam end notifications (“Ende der Prüfung”)

🌟 Exam Management

• Multiple zone support (A, B, C, D)
• Today’s exam schedule overview
• Live progress tracking during exams
• Offline functionality with cached schedules

🎥 Video Recording (New in v1.2)

• Automatic video recording during exam sessions using the front camera
• H.265/HEVC encoding for efficient video compression
• Audio capture alongside video
• Recordings are stored temporarily on the iPad and automatically deleted before the next exam session
• Recording management: view, play back, and manually delete recordings from settings
• Responsive video player adapting to different iPad sizes
• Independent sound control — recording toggle is separate from exam audio
• Safety controls — recording cannot be toggled during active exam sessions

🤖 AI Assistant (Experimental, New in v1.2)

Important: The AI assistant requires an iPad with Apple Intelligence support — this means iPad Pro (M1 or later), iPad Air (M1 or later), or iPad mini (A17 Pro). The standard iPad does not support Apple Intelligence due to hardware limitations (minimum 8 GB RAM required). iPadOS 26+ is also required. The AI assistant button is automatically hidden on unsupported devices.

• Powered by Apple’s local on-device LLM via Apple Intelligence — no cloud AI services are used
• On-device speech-to-text transcription
• WebVTT subtitle generation for recorded videos
• Working Alliance assessment using three dimensions (Bond, Goals, Tasks)
• Interactive chat for follow-up questions about assessments
• Multi-language support (German, English, French, Italian)
• All processing runs entirely on the device’s Neural Engine — no data is sent to Apple servers or any other external service

🎵 Custom Audio

• Professional German audio notifications
• Sound testing in settings
• Optimized audio for exam environments

🌙 Display Optimization

• Prevents screen sleep during exams
• Automatic brightness management
• Dark mode optimized for extended use

Technical Specifications

• Platform: iPad (iPadOS 26+)
• Language: German/English
• Database: Firebase Firestore
• Architecture: SwiftUI with Combine
• Video: H.265/HEVC encoding with AVFoundation
• AI: Apple Foundation Models & SpeechAnalyzer (on-device)
• Audio: CAF format for reliability

Privacy

No personal data is collected or transmitted to external servers. Exam schedules are retrieved from a secure database. Video recordings, transcriptions, and AI assessments are stored and processed exclusively on your device. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

Installation

Available on the Apple App Store for authorized HSG medical examination use.

Developer

Tobias Kowatsch Universität Zürich und Universität St. Gallen tobias.kowatsch@unisg.ch

License

Developed for University of St. Gallen medical examination purposes.

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For technical support or questions, please contact the developer.