# The guexam class

Format exam papers

This is version guexam-1.4.3-b2, 2026 June 20.

- You may want to look at a sample exam. See the `sample/` directory in the distribution for the source of this. That demonstrates the final version of the paper, as opposed to the ‘draft’ and ‘compose’ versions; there’s also a version with this layout but showing the solutions.
- If you're a question author, you probably don't want to read the full documentation. Stick to the shorter notes for authors.
- See the documentation for fuller discussion.

## To install

Unpack the distribution tarball or zip file, and move the directory `move-to-texmf/` (or its contents) to some location on the LaTeX search path. You're probably looking for a directory called `texmf-local`, or something like that.

In practice (and probably preferrably, if you are managing exam source files in a git or other repository), you may prefer to put these in the same directory as the exam source files.

The distribution includes a file `gulogo-snapshot.zip`, which contains the files required to supply the GU logo. The guexam class will work without error in the absence of these files, but won't, obviously, produce the logo on the exam papers. To install, unpack the zip file, and move the files in `move-to-texmf/` to a suitable place. Typically, only the exams convener will need to care about this, since question authors use only the `[compose]` mode, which does not attempt to use the logo.

‘Move…to a suitable place’ is admittedly very vague. Here are some pointers, however:

- This can be the same location as your exam source files. This will work, but you'll have to do this for each directory, so this is just about acceptable for question authors, but inconvenient for the exams convener.
- See the good generic advice in the TeX FAQ.
- Your LaTeX environment might have some hints on ‘installing new style files’, or you can search online with some search string like that.
- If you're on a unix-like OS, then the command `kpsewhich guexam.cls` will show you which class file LaTeX will use (so if it produces no result, that's telling you that LaTeX won't find the files); also `kpsepath tex` will display, in an admittedly very oblique form, the list of places where TeX will search.
- If you're using MikTeX, then the documentation on the ‘MikTeX console’ includes a section on ‘Registering a user-managed TEXMF root directory’. This rather obliquely says that you can ‘register a user-managed TEXMF root directory’. What that means is that (i) you should go to a folder such as `...\Users\yourname\AppData\MikTeX`, (ii) create a sequence of folders so that you end up with `...\MikTeX\texmf\tex\latex\guexam`, and (iii) put the distributed `.sty` and `.clo` files in the latter folder. The directory `...\MikTex\texmf` is your ‘user-managed TEXMF root directory’, and you should add it to MikTeX's search path using the instructions above.

Various people within the School use various LaTeX implementations. Amongst these are:

- TeXLive for unixes,
- MacTeX for macOS,
- MikTeX for Windows.

For exams, we don't recommend you use Overleaf, though Overleaf is otherwise a good idea. This is for the fairly obvious reason that it's off-campus. Don't store exams in a cloud service!

## Releases

With the version 1.1 release, the interface should now be regarded as rather stable. However version 1.1 was the first to be released outside Glasgow University, so there may be some changes to the interface which will emerge with broader use, as well as some bug fixes. The interface may, therefore, yet change. If you use this class to produce exams, you should therefore include a copy of the class file locally, rather than relying on a central version. If you need an earlier version of the class, let me know.

1.4.3-b2, 2026 June 20

Added a missed case to the definition of `{itemize}` within `{mcq}`.

1.4.3-b1, 2026 June 5

- Added the `{questiongroup}` environment.
- Bugfix: `{itemize}` environment was broken inside `{mcq}`; fixed.

1.4.2+1, 2025 September 10

Updating constants: now matches CODATA 2022. Adjusted confusing display of some uncertainties.

1.4.2, 2025 March 4

Fix formatting of the question number. Before, if a question started with a `{questiondata}`, then the question number appeared in italic. Fixed with an explicit `\normalfont`. Thanks to John Veitch for the report.

1.4.2-b1, 2024 December 14

- Adjustments to the distribution, clarifying documentation.

1.4.1, 2023 November 22

- There is now a VERSION stamp file in the move-to-texmf directory.
- Documentation and logging clarifications.

1.4.1-b1, 2023 October 9

- Uprightpi works again, in STIX2 fonts.
- Some documentation clarifications (only one partmarks per part).

1.4.0, 2022 October 10

- The [siunitx] option is now on by default, and the `\units` macro produces a one-time-per-document warning that it will be removed in the next version.
- Having two `\partmarks` commands in an environment is now detected as an error (it was documented as an error, but not checked, so the extra `\partmarks` commands were simply ignored).

1.4.0-b1, 2022 August 7

- The class file now depends on a version of LaTeX which is at least the 2020/10/01 release. This is so that we can use the current LaTeX hooks mechanism.
- Rework `\partmarks`: the `\partmarks` indicator can now go inside most environments, including list, quotes, unnumbered equations, and the various amsmath displays. In these cases, the indicator will automatically appear at the end of the environment. The starred variant of the command still exists, but should rarely be necessary.

1.3.6, 2022 October 21

v1.3.6 now actually is usable with LaTeX earlier than 2020.

This compatibility is of course the point of the retained 1.3.x branch, but it appears that I tested this inadequately, and left a spurious format-version test enabled.

Earlier release notes are available

Norman Gray
2026 June 20