If you are shortlisted for the Laptop Scheme or the Asaan Karobar Card, you take two online tests: first the screening test (multiple choice), then the video test (spoken answers on camera). Both open on your application page in Laptops & Karobar Card in your student panel. The numbers below are NSDP's standard rules; the rules of your cycle are frozen when it opens and are shown on the test page itself.
When the tests open
- SystemSystem
Shortlisted
You get a message: your screening test is open until a date (7 days later).
- StudentStudent
Screening test
Take it any time before that date. Your marks show at once.
- SystemSystem
Video test opens
Only if you passed the screening test. Open for 7 days after you submitted the screening test.
- StudentStudent
Video test
Record your answers and submit.
- NSDPNSDP
Blind review
Two NSDP reviewers score it separately; you get an email with the result.
The screening test
- 40 multiple-choice questions, one at a time, with 70 seconds for each. A timer shows the time left.
- Questions come from the topic of the course you applied with, plus general aptitude (reasoning and English).
- The paper mixes difficulty: about 30% easy, 50% medium and 20% hard.
- Every student gets a different paper, and the answer choices are shuffled.
- When a question's time ends, the next one opens by itself. You cannot go back to a question. A question left unanswered counts as wrong.
- The timer runs on NSDP's server, not your device, so changing your phone's clock does not help.
- Pass mark: 95%. Your result shows at once: your marks, pass or fail, and how you did in each topic. The questions and correct answers are not shown, so they can be used fairly for other students.
The video test
Step 1: Agree to be recorded
Tick that you agree to be recorded, to show your CNIC, and that your answers are your own.
Step 2: Check your camera and microphone
The page shows your camera, your microphone level and your upload speed. A working camera and microphone are required; without them the test cannot start.
Step 3: Practise once
Record a 15-second practice answer (your name and the course you finished). It stays on your device and is not sent to anyone.
Step 4: CNIC check
First, hold your CNIC (or B-Form) next to your face and say your full name and today's date. You get 10 seconds to get ready and 20 seconds to record.
Step 5: Answer the questions
Each question is shown once. You get 30 seconds to read it, then recording starts by itself for up to 90 seconds. You can stop early with I have finished my answer. One take only: no re-recording.
Step 6: Submit
When every answer shows as saved, submit the test.
- Answer in Urdu or English, in your own words. Notes, help from other people and AI tools are not allowed.
- Two NSDP reviewers score your answers separately, without seeing your name or campus. If their scores are more than 20 points apart, a third reviewer scores it and the middle score counts.
- Reviewers score four things: understanding of the question, correctness, your own reasoning, and communication.
- Pass mark: 70%. You get an email with your result and the reviewers' notes.
- Videos are private. They are deleted 90 days after the final results.
Before you start: device checklist
- A phone or computer with a working front camera and microphone (needed for the video test).
- A steady internet connection. For the video test, the check marks an upload speed of 600 kbps or more as good; a slower connection still works, but uploads take longer.
- Charge your device, and close other apps and tabs.
- Use one device and one browser window from start to finish.
- Allow camera and microphone when your browser asks. If you blocked them, allow them in your browser settings and check again.
- For the video test, keep your CNIC (or B-Form) with you and sit in a quiet, well-lit place.
- On a computer, the screening test opens full screen. Stay in it until you finish.
What is recorded during a test
While a test is open, the page records some actions for NSDP to look at. These only raise a flag for a person to review. A flag never fails you by itself: NSDP looks at every flag and decides on it in writing.
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Leaving the test window or switching apps | Recorded. Leaving 3 or more times raises a flag. |
| Hiding the tab (for example opening another tab) | Recorded, and counted with leaving the window. |
| Copy, cut or paste | Blocked and recorded. Any attempt raises a flag. |
| Right-click | Blocked and recorded. |
| Leaving full screen (computer only) | Recorded. |
| Making the browser window very small | Recorded. |
| Refusing the camera in the screening test | The test goes on without photos; a low flag notes it for the reviewers. |
| Opening the test in a second browser or device | Refused, and a flag is raised. |
| A video answer recorded in time but uploaded late (up to 15 minutes) | Kept, and flagged so the reviewers check the recording. |
NSDP also checks, across all students of a cycle, whether the same device was used by different students. Many students on one network (for example a campus lab) is normal.
If your connection drops or the page closes
- Come back in the same browser on the same device. Open the test page again and you continue where you were. The test cannot be opened on another device or browser.
- Screening test: the timer keeps running while you are away. Questions whose time ran out are closed unanswered, and you continue with the next one. A small delay of a few seconds in sending your answer is allowed.
- Video test: your answer is uploaded in small parts while you record, and each part is kept on your device until NSDP's server has it. If the upload stops, it continues when you are back online. Keep the page open until every answer shows as saved.
- Video test time limits: a part that reaches NSDP more than 10 seconds after the answer's time ended is refused, unless it was recorded within the answer time and arrives within 15 minutes (a slow connection). Such a late upload is kept, but the answer is flagged so the reviewers check the recording. Anything recorded after the answer time is never accepted.
- The same part is never saved twice or replaced: an answer cannot be changed after it was recorded.
- A question that was shown is not shown again, even after a reload.
Messages you might see
“Your test is already open in another window or device. Continue it there: it can only be taken once.”
WhyThe test was started in another browser, window or device.
FixGo back to the browser where you started it. A second session is refused and flagged.
“This test is open in another browser or device. It can only be taken in the window where it started.”
WhyThe page was opened somewhere other than where the test started.
FixContinue in the original browser on the original device.
“The screening test window has closed.”
WhyThe 7 days to take the screening test have ended.
FixThe test can no longer be taken this cycle. Take tests early in their window.
“The video test window has closed.”
WhyThe 7 days after your screening test have ended.
FixThe test can no longer be taken this cycle. Take tests early in their window.
“A working camera and microphone are needed for the video test.”
WhyThe camera or microphone is missing or blocked.
FixAllow them in your browser settings, or use a phone with a front camera, then check again.
“The test is not ready yet. Please try again later; your place is kept.”
WhyNSDP's question bank for your topic is not ready yet.
FixTry again later. Your place is kept.
“You have already taken the screening test.”
WhyEach test can be taken once.
FixYour result is on your application page.
If you think something went wrong
You can appeal a test result once, within 7 days of the result, from your application page. An NSDP reviewer who did not score you decides in writing within 14 days. The full appeal steps are in How selection and appeals work.
Questions
Can I take a test again if I fail?
No. Each test can be taken once per application. You can appeal the result within 7 days, and you can apply again in a later cycle.
Can I take the tests on a phone?
Yes. Both tests work on a phone. For the video test you need the front camera and microphone. Use one device from start to finish.
Why can't I see the correct answers after the screening test?
The same questions are used for other students, so they are kept private. You see your marks and how you did in each topic.
I left the window by mistake. Will I fail?
No. Leaving the window only raises a flag if it happens 3 or more times, and a flag never fails anyone by itself. NSDP reviews every flag.
My internet was slow and my video answer finished uploading late. Does it still count?
Yes, if the answer was recorded within its time and the upload finished within 15 minutes of the answer time ending. It is kept and flagged so the reviewers look at it; the flag alone does not fail you. Parts arriving later than that, or recorded after the time ended, are not accepted.