QST review covering the open-source, self-hosted assessment platform for quizzes, surveys and exams, its features, licensing, pros, cons, and use cases.
QST, short for Quiz/Survey/Test, is a free, self-hosted, open-source assessment platform built by QST Online Ltd., a Canada-based provider that first released the software in 2018. It is designed to give schools, training organizations, and certification bodies full control over their exam infrastructure instead of relying on a hosted vendor.
The platform installs on Windows, Ubuntu Linux, and macOS, and runs on a mod_perl and MySQL architecture built to handle more than 1,000 simultaneous test-takers on modest hardware, making it suited to large-scale, high-stakes assessment events.
QST supports multiple question types, including multiple-choice, matching, true/false, and essay questions, with branching logic for adaptive assessments, plus a built-in WYSIWYG equation editor with LaTeX and chemistry notation support for STEM subjects. Objective questions are auto-graded, and results feed into an included gradebook that tracks marks and weighted assignments alongside QST-based assessments.
The platform supports multi-tenancy, letting one server host many independent organizations, classes, and instructors, and it interoperates with other assessment tools through import and export in QST XML, Moodle XML, IMS QTI, Word XML, and PDF formats.
QST is released under the GNU General Public License version 2, meaning it can be downloaded, run, modified, and even rebranded for commercial use without any licensing fee.
Because QST is self-hosted, all assessment and student data stays on the operator's own infrastructure, which the project positions as supporting GDPR and FERPA privacy expectations, and the software reports more than 26,000 downloads across over 185 countries since its 2018 release.
QST is used for building and administering quizzes, surveys, tests, and exams, particularly by educational institutions, training organizations, and certification bodies.
Yes, QST is released under the GPLv2 open-source license with no licensing fees.
QST is developed by QST Online Ltd., a Canada-based software provider that first released the platform in 2018.
Yes, QST's mod_perl and MySQL architecture is built to support over 1,000 simultaneous users on modest hardware.
Yes, QST includes a built-in WYSIWYG equation editor with native LaTeX and chemistry notation support.
QST installs on Windows 7, 10, and 11, Ubuntu Linux, and macOS.
QST is self-hosted, keeping data on the operator's own infrastructure, which the project positions as supporting GDPR and FERPA privacy expectations.