PTGE Platform Development

Proficiency English Test for English Professional Team (PTGE) is a dedicated direction of the Hotspot English school focused on assessing English proficiency among employees and candidates of partner companies.

Challenges: The testing process was fully manual. Teachers conducted sessions via Zoom, students wrote answers on paper, photographed them, and sent them for review. The process was time-consuming and inefficient.

Objective: Develop a web platform that solves all core challenges of this direction and meets the following criteria:

• All processes operate within a single platform (student testing, test review, testing history, company contacts, tested candidates, etc.).
• A convenient online test that students can take at any time and on any day of the week.
• Minimization of cheating during the test.
• Automation of routine processes.

Project Structure

Before starting development, we gathered detailed requirements from the client about their vision of the ideal platform. Based on that, we moved to implementation:

• Designed the full project structure: a graphical scheme outlining page hierarchy, functionality placement, and access levels.
• Created a phased implementation plan, dividing the project into structured sprints with clearly defined goals.

Selected Technologies

Due to the project scale, we implemented a custom design system built with Vue.

A design system is a set of reusable components, styles, and rules used to create a consistent interface across the entire application.

Design system advantages:

• Unified style and behavior across the platform.
• Faster development through reusable components.
• Easier maintenance — updates apply across the system.
• Scalability for large multi-team projects.
• Clear documentation for integration and future growth.

Technology stack:

• Vue.js (Front-End)
• NestJS (Back-End)
• MongoDB (Database)

Development

After approving the project structure and technology stack, we moved to building the design system (implemented by the client’s designer) and then to technical implementation of components and functionality.

Development of components, page assembly, core and additional functionality took approximately 5 months. Parallel to development, we conducted continuous testing and prepared detailed SRS documentation.

What We Delivered

After project completion, the platform included the following key features:

Role-Based Access System

Four distinct user roles with separate permissions:

• Super Admin — full access, including all Company Admin and Teacher permissions.
• Company Admin — invites employees/candidates, purchases tests, tracks statistics, exports results.
• Student — takes the English proficiency test.
• Teacher — reviews tests, watches recorded sessions, assigns grades.
  

Fully Automated Testing Platform

Four synchronized platform modules:

• Super Admin invites Company Admin.
• Company Admin invites candidates.
• Teachers review and grade.
• All data is centralized and synchronized.

Complete English Testing System (Grammar, Listening, Speaking)

Implemented functionality includes:

• Magic link access — no registration required, students enter via unique URL.
• Device check before test (microphone, headphones, webcam).
• Time-limited test sections.
• Webcam and screen recording to prevent cheating.
• Microphone audio recording throughout the test.
• Automatic video upload, compression, and format conversion.
• Automatic video deletion after 60 days.
• Limited playback attempts for listening tasks.
• Task randomization to prevent cheating.
• Disabled Grammarly and browser spell-check.
• Disabled text selection and copying.
• Full activity logging (start/end time, device, page reloads, etc.).

Additional Automation & Integrations

• Automatic teacher salary calculation based on reviewed tests.
• WayForPay integration for test payments.
• SendGrid integration with 15 email templates for 4 user roles.
• Dynamic email templates using real-time data (payment status, test results, passwords, test links).

Results

From the initial client request to final platform release, the project took just over 9 months. During this time, we transformed an idea into a fully operational digital product that exceeded expectations and solved all core challenges.

• Testing, grading, and history are fully centralized within one platform.
• Students can take the test anytime without scheduling or manual coordination.
• Cheating prevention mechanisms are fully implemented.
• Routine communication, manual test review workflows, and scattered processes were eliminated.

The PTGE platform became a scalable, automated solution that significantly streamlined the English testing process for corporate clients.