Which of the following are the features of on-demand examination system? (A)…

Concept: An on-demand examination system detaches the examination from a fixed institutional calendar. The learner registers and appears whenever he or she is ready, and an equivalent question paper is generated on request from a large, pre-calibrated item bank. Its defining aims are flexibility of scheduling, comparability of the papers produced for different candidates, and distribution of the examination load across the whole year instead of a single peak.

Application: Each listed statement is tested against that definition.

1. Statement (A), a more rigid scheme of examination: rigidity is the property of the fixed-calendar system that on-demand testing was designed to replace, so it runs against the defining purpose of the system.

2. Statement (B), maximum possibility of malpractices or unfair means: the papers are drawn at random from a secured item bank under software control, and heightened malpractice is a criticism occasionally raised against computer-based delivery, not a feature the system is built to provide.

3. Statement (C), a particular software specially developed for this purpose: assembling an equivalent, calibrated paper the moment a candidate asks for it cannot be done by hand, so purpose-built software with an attached item bank is an essential requirement. India's National Institute of Open Schooling runs its on-demand examination on exactly such a dedicated system.

4. Statement (D), it reduces the workload of students and teachers: because candidates appear in small numbers spread across the year, the concentrated peak of setting, invigilating and preparing for a term-end examination is spread out for teachers and learners alike.

5. Statement (E), no need to wait for the six monthly end term examinations: this is the central promise of the system, since a learner who is ready need not wait for the next term-end window.

Cross-check: Statements (A) and (B) describe the rigidity the system removes and a criticism levelled at it, so neither belongs to its features, while (C), (D) and (E) each follow directly from the definition.

Result: The features of the on-demand examination system are (C), (D) and (E) only.