COOKIE POLICY FOR MCQEXAM.COM
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device (computer, tablet, or phone) when you visit a website. They help the website function properly, remember your preferences, and provide anonymized usage data. This policy also covers similar tracking technologies like local storage, session storage, and pixels.
2. How We Use Cookies on MCQexam.com
MCQexam.com uses cookies for the following purposes:
| Category | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly Necessary | Essential for platform operation, security, and legal compliance. Cannot be disabled. | Authentication (keeping you logged in), HelloSign integration, file uploads, CSRF protection. |
| Functional | Remember your preferences to improve your experience. You can disable these, but some features may degrade. | Language preference, exam settings (e.g., question order), dark mode. |
| Analytics/Performance | Collect anonymized data about how users interact with the platform to improve performance and research. | Page views, conversion rates, feature usage (without personal identifiers). |
| Marketing/Tracking | Used only if you explicitly consent. These help us understand campaign effectiveness or serve relevant ads (if we run commercial ads in the future). | Tracking pixels from Google Ads (if used), retargeting. |
Important – Research vs. Commercial Cookies:
Cookies used for scientific research analytics (e.g., measuring how teachers use the PDF-to-MCQ tool) fall under the “Analytics” category. We pseudonymize IP addresses and never link research cookies to your identity unless required for platform security.
Commercial marketing cookies will only be placed after you give explicit consent via our cookie banner.
3. List of Specific Cookies We Use
Below is a representative list. Exact cookies may change as we update the platform.
| Cookie Name | Category | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
session_id | Strictly Necessary | Session | Unique identifier for your login session. |
csrf_token | Strictly Necessary | Session | Protects against cross-site request forgery. |
user_preferences | Functional | 12 months | Stores your UI settings (e.g., theme, default exam options). |
mcq_research_anon_id | Analytics | 24 months | Pseudonymous identifier for research analytics (no personal data). |
hello_sign_sso | Strictly Necessary | Session | Enables HelloSign signature flow. |
cookie_consent | Strictly Necessary | 12 months | Records your cookie consent choices. |
_ga (if using Google Analytics) | Analytics | 24 months | Google Analytics anonymized tracking (if enabled with your consent). |
We do not currently use any advertising or tracking cookies from third parties without consent. If that changes, we will update this policy and ask for fresh consent.
4. Your Consent & Control
4.1 Cookie Banner
When you first visit MCQexam.com, a cookie banner will appear asking for your consent to set non‑essential cookies (Functional, Analytics, Marketing).
- Strictly Necessary cookies are always active – you cannot disable them because the platform would break.
- You can accept all, reject all non‑essential, or customize your preferences.
4.2 Changing Your Preferences
You can change your cookie settings at any time by:
- Clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the website footer.
- Adjusting your browser settings to block or delete cookies (see Section 5 below).
If you disable Functional or Analytics cookies, some features may become limited (e.g., we cannot remember your preferred exam layout).
4.3 Withdrawal of Consent
Withdrawing consent does not affect cookies already stored on your device before withdrawal. You must manually clear your browser cookies to remove them.
5. Managing Cookies via Your Browser
Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can:
- Block all cookies (including necessary ones) – but then MCQexam.com may not work properly.
- Delete existing cookies.
- Set alerts when a cookie is placed.
Links to instructions for popular browsers:
6. Third-Party Cookies
Some services we integrate may set their own cookies (third‑party cookies). These include:
| Third Party | Purpose | Category | Cookie Policy Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| HelloSign (Dropbox Sign) | Electronic signatures, document delivery | Strictly Necessary | HelloSign Privacy |
| Cloud Hosting Provider (e.g., AWS) | Load balancing, security | Strictly Necessary | Varies by provider |
| Google Analytics (if used) | Research analytics (pseudonymized) | Analytics (with consent) | Google Analytics Cookie Usage |
We do not control third‑party cookies. Please review their policies for opt-out options.
7. Cookies & the Research Project
Under our Research Participation Agreement, we may use pseudonymized analytics cookies to study:
- How teachers upload and convert PDFs to MCQs.
- Which AI benchmarking features are used most.
- Aggregate error rates and conversion success.
These research cookies never contain personal data like your name, email, or the content of your uploads. They are stored separately from your identifiable account data. This is part of our GDPR Art. 89 research safeguards.
If you choose to reject analytics cookies, you can still fully participate in the research project (by uploading files and signing the agreement). We will simply not collect cookie‑based usage metrics from your browser.
8. Do Not Track (DNT)
Some browsers have a “Do Not Track” feature. MCQexam.com does not currently respond to DNT signals because there is no uniform standard. Instead, we rely on our cookie banner and explicit consent for non‑essential cookies as required by the ePrivacy Directive and GDPR.
9. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our use of cookies or legal requirements. Any material change will be notified via a banner on the website and, for registered contributors, by email to the address associated with your account. The “Effective Date” at the top will be revised.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies, your choices, or this policy, please contact:
By continuing to use MCQexam.com after seeing our cookie banner, you agree to our use of cookies as described in this policy, except where you have opted out of non‑essential cookies.