Cookie Policy
Last updated: November 2026 · Effective immediately for all PlacePrep users.
Summary for Students
PlacePrep is built to help students crack campus placement drives without paying predatory fees. We do not sell student data or use advertising cookies at present. If limited advertising is introduced in non-exam areas, the provider, cookie purposes, and consent choices will be disclosed before activation. We will not use advertising tools in a way that accesses camera feeds, answers, or assessment records.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your computer, tablet, or smartphone when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, provide secure authentication, and remember your settings between page navigations.
In addition to standard HTTP cookies, modern web applications may also use browser technologies like localStorage and sessionStorage to store client-side state (such as active timers, answer drafts, or offline caches). For simplicity, this policy uses the term “cookies” to refer to all such client storage mechanisms.
Advertising Cookies
Advertising is not currently active on PlacePrep. We may add small advertising placements outside timed mock exams to help keep the platform free. Any non-essential advertising cookies or similar technologies will be disabled unless you provide the required consent, and you can withdraw that choice through . Ads will never be shown inside an active mock question or used to access camera footage and face-check data.
2. Types of Cookies We Use
We group the cookies used across PlacePrep into three straightforward categories:
Strictly Necessary
RequiredRequired for you to navigate PlacePrep, sign in with your email or Google account, and submit proctored mock assessments securely. Without these, the service cannot function.
Preferences
OptionalAllows our platform to remember your personalized settings—like expanded question passage drawers, custom practice filter selections, or notification preferences.
Performance
OptionalMeasures site performance, server response latency, and helps detect client errors or broken questions so our volunteer team can patch bugs rapidly.
3. Detailed Cookie Inventory
Here is a full, transparent breakdown of the specific cookies set by PlacePrep:
| Cookie Name | Category | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| sid | Strictly Necessary | Stores your encrypted authentication session token so you stay logged in while practising or taking timed mocks. | 30 days (or until logout) |
| g_state | Strictly Necessary | Temporary anti-CSRF security token used exclusively during the Google Sign-In redirect exchange. | 10 minutes |
| placeprep_cookie_consent | Strictly Necessary | Records your consent choices for necessary, functional, and performance cookies so we remember your preferences. | 1 year |
| placeprep_prefs | Preferences & Functionality | Stores personal exam runner preferences (such as formula reference drawers and question layout options). | 1 year (local storage / cookie) |
| placeprep_perf | Analytics & Performance | Anonymous performance diagnostics to detect slow question loading and database latency. | 1 year |
| Advertising cookies (future) | Advertising | Not currently active. If advertising is introduced, these would support limited ads in non-exam areas only after the required consent. | To be disclosed before activation |
4. Camera, Proctoring, & Biometrics
Students often ask whether video frames or camera streams are saved via cookies or session storage.
The answer is strictly NO. When you take a mock assessment with optional face & gaze proctoring:
- MediaPipe FaceMesh runs completely client-side in WebAssembly inside your browser.
- No video, audio, or facial landmark coordinates are ever stored in cookies or client storage.
- No media bytes leave your device or reach our database servers.
- Only numerical violation counters (e.g., tab switches or off-screen flags) are sent to record the attempt result.
5. How You Can Control Cookies
You maintain full control over the optional cookies stored by PlacePrep:
- Using Our Settings: Click the button at any time to open the preference dialog and enable or disable optional cookies.
- Using Your Web Browser: You can configure Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari to block or alert you about cookies. Note that blocking strictly necessary cookies will prevent you from logging into PlacePrep.
- Clearing Cookies: You can clear your browser cookies anytime via your browser settings. Doing so will sign you out and display our cookie choice banner on your next visit.
6. Questions or Concerns?
If you have any questions regarding our use of cookies or student data privacy, please check out our Privacy Policy or contact us directly at support@placeprep.me.