You teach, coach or know a subject well. You want to put exams, mock tests, quizzes or full courses online, and maybe earn from them. You have never built a website, and words like “hosting”, “WordPress” and “plugin” sound like another language.
This guide is the whole path, in order. By the end you will know every piece you need, what each one does, and exactly what to click to get your first quiz online.
The short answer: five pieces
| # | Piece | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domain name | Your website’s address | yourcoaching.com |
| 2 | Web hosting | An always-on computer that stores your site | Any WordPress-friendly host |
| 3 | WordPress | Free software that builds and runs the site | One-click install at most hosts |
| 4 | A theme | The look: colours, fonts, layout | Any lightweight theme |
| 5 | An exam and course plugin | The add-on that turns WordPress into a test and course platform | Turgor Exam Engine (free) |
That is the whole stack. Payments, certificates and reports are optional extras you can add later. New to the vocabulary? Read What is WordPress? A plain-English guide first, then come back.
Why build on your own site?
With a hosted course platform you rent your business: monthly fees that grow, limits on how a paper can be built, and your students’ data on someone else’s servers. On your own WordPress site, the courses, questions, attempts and results sit in your own database. Turgor Exam Engine makes no requests to outside servers. See the honest comparison in WordPress vs Teachable, Thinkific and other course platforms.
Step 1: Decide what you are selling
- Mock tests: timed papers for an entrance or recruitment exam.
- Quizzes: short topic tests, daily practice, lead magnets.
- Courses: lessons, videos and quizzes in an outline.
- A mix: a course whose topics end in quizzes, plus full-length mocks. This is the most common setup for coaching businesses.
The tools are the same. Only the way you arrange the content differs.
Step 2: Buy a domain name
- Pick something short, easy to say aloud and easy to spell.
- Prefer a
.comor your country’s extension. Avoid hyphens and numbers. - Buy it from your hosting company if you can. Having both in one account is simpler for a beginner.
Step 3: Buy hosting
Choose a plan with PHP 8.1 or newer, a free SSL certificate (the https padlock), daily backups and one-click WordPress. Exams create bursts of traffic, with many students starting the same test at once, so do not buy the cheapest tier if you expect large batches. The full checklist is in WordPress hosting for exams and courses: what to buy.
Step 4: Install WordPress
- In your hosting dashboard, find Install WordPress (it may be called Softaculous or “1-click install”).
- Choose your domain, set an admin username and a strong, unique password.
- Click install. When it finishes, log in at
yourdomain.com/wp-admin. - Go to Settings → General and confirm the site title and that the site address starts with
https://.
Step 5: Choose a theme
Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New. For a learning site, speed and readability beat animation. Pick a well-reviewed lightweight theme and activate it. You can change it later without losing a single exam or course.
Step 6: Install the exam and course plugin
- Go to Plugins → Add New and search for Turgor Exam Engine. You can also download it from its WordPress.org page and use Add New → Upload Plugin.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
- A Turgor Exam Engine menu appears in the left sidebar.
It needs WordPress 6.7+ and PHP 8.1+. What you get for free: eight question types, negative marking, timed sectioned papers, retake limits, shuffling, a question bank, a drag-and-drop course builder, free enrollment, student profiles and results charts.
Built for real exam patterns
Everything a coaching institute asks for
The checklist institutes send us before they switch, and how Turgor Exam Engine covers each item.
| Your requirement | Turgor Exam Engine |
|---|---|
| Create courses and lessons | Yes Free Drag-and-drop course builder with lessons, videos and quizzes. |
| Divide an exam into sections | Yes Free Name each section and assign questions to it. |
| Shuffle questions within each section | Yes Free Shuffling never mixes sections, so the paper keeps its structure. |
| Draw a set number of questions from each section | Yes Exam Mode Question limit per section, picked fresh for every attempt. |
| Different marks for each section | Yes Exam Mode For example +1 in one section and +2 in another. |
| Different negative marking for each section | Yes Exam Mode Turn it on or off and set the deduction section by section. The free plugin sets it per quiz or per question. |
| A separate timer for each section | Yes Exam Mode Each section closes when its time runs out, as in SSC CGL and IBPS PO. |
| Sectional cut-off marks | Yes Exam Mode A minimum score per section, in marks or as a percentage. |
| “Only the first N answers count” (CSIR NET rule) | Yes Exam Mode Set how many answered questions are evaluated in each section. |
| Section-wise results | Yes Exam Mode Score, correct, wrong and skipped for every section, plus answer-by-answer review. |
| Questions in English plus another language | Yes Exam Mode Add a second language to any question, such as Hindi, Tamil, Bengali or Marathi. Students switch between the two during the exam. |
| A real computer-based exam screen with question navigation | Yes Exam Mode Question palette, mark for review, countdown and a GATE-style calculator. |
Free in Turgor Exam Engine on WordPress.orgExam Mode needs the Exam Mode add-on (Pro)
See Exam Mode in action
- Parts A, B and C as separate tabs
- Attempt any 15, 35 and 25: only those answers count
- Different marks and negative marking for each part
- Fullscreen exam screen with question palette
- General Aptitude, Chemistry and five optional sections
- 122 questions in one full-length paper
- Question palette and mark for review
- Fullscreen exam screen with a countdown timer
Step 7: Build your first quiz
A complete beginner walkthrough with every setting explained is in Build your first course and mock test, step by step. The short version:
- Go to Quizzes → Add New and give it a title.
- In the Questions box, write new questions or add existing ones from the bank.
- Set the time limit, passing score, retake limit and negative marking.
- Tick Open to every signed-in student to make it a standalone mock test, then publish.
The full reference is in the Building a quiz docs page.
Step 8: Add the pages students see
Create a normal WordPress page for each of these and paste the shortcode into it:
[turgee_courses]for a grid of your courses[turgee_quizzes]for a grid of your standalone mock tests[turgee_login]for sign-in, lost password and reset password[turgee_profile]for the student’s profile, courses and score history
Then add those pages to your menu under Appearance → Menus.
Step 9: Decide how students get access
- Free or open: one-click enrollment or no signup at all. Included in the free plugin.
- Paid: sell courses, test series and bundles with Turgor Exam Engine Pro. See how to sell online courses and mock tests.
Step 10: Launch checklist
- https works on every page
- You took your own test start to finish on a phone and a laptop
- Sign-in, lost-password and profile pages work
- Privacy policy, terms and refund policy pages exist
- Backups are scheduled
- You have a way to reach students: an email list or a WhatsApp or Telegram group
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Every step above is point-and-click.
What does it cost?
WordPress and the free plugin cost nothing. You pay for a domain and hosting, which vary by provider. Pro pricing is on the pricing section.
Can I restrict exams to my own students?
Yes. A quiz can be open to every signed-in student, or sit inside a course that students enroll in.
I already use LearnDash. Can I move?
Yes. Start with How to migrate from LearnDash.
Next step: download Turgor Exam Engine free and follow the step-by-step tutorial. Questions? See the documentation or contact us.