VESVirtual Exam Simulator

VES Support

VES: Virtual Exam Simulator for Mac and iPad

Need help? Email VESapp@pm.me. Please include your device (Mac or iPad), OS version, and what you were doing when the problem happened.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add my own material?

Press the + button (in the sidebar on Mac, at the bottom of the sidebar on iPad) and choose one of three options: add a question file you already have, create a quiz from a document, or create a quiz from a book. VES reads plain text, PDF, Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), and its own .json question files. On Mac you can also drag a file onto the window.

The "Create a quiz from a document / book" options are greyed out.

AI question generation runs entirely on your device using Apple Intelligence, so it needs a Mac with Apple silicon or a recent iPad, with Apple Intelligence turned on in System Settings. On devices that don't support it, those two options are disabled but everything else in VES works normally — you can still import ready-made question files.

Generation is slow, or says the model is still downloading.

The first time Apple Intelligence is enabled, the on-device model downloads in the background; give it a few minutes. Generating from a whole book takes a while — for long PDFs, use "Create a quiz from a book" and pick a page range (one chapter at a time is ideal).

Questions came out in the wrong language.

VES detects the language of your document and writes questions in that language, regardless of the app's interface language. If a document mixes languages, it follows whichever dominates the opening pages.

How do I change the app's language?

Open Settings › General › Language and choose English, Español or Português. The change applies immediately.

What does "Focus on my weak topics" do?

After a few attempts on a file, VES tracks your accuracy per topic. That button preselects only the topics where you've been scoring under 70%, so your next session drills exactly those. Until there's enough history it's disabled.

What is Review, and why is it greyed out?

Review drills the individual questions you keep getting wrong — not just the weak topics, the specific questions. It needs three completed Exam Mode attempts on a file before it appears, because one or two wrong answers isn't a pattern yet; until then the button shows how many attempts are left. Once it unlocks, it puts the questions you've missed most at the front. Answering one correctly doesn't remove it: VES waits until you've got it right twice in a row, then retires it. Retrying missed questions straight after a test doesn't count towards any of this, since the answers were on screen a moment earlier.

What is Daily 10?

A short daily session of up to ten questions you keep missing, gathered from all your files. The Daily 10 card appears in the sidebar once there are missed questions to practice. Daily 10 sessions don't change a file's score chart or its attempt count.

How do reminders work?

Settings → Reminders has three optional switches: a daily practice time, an exam countdown (7, 3 and 1 days before each exam date, at 9:00) and a warning before your free week ends. Alerts for VES Calendar events are set on each event. They are notifications scheduled on your device; nothing goes to a server. If they don't appear, allow notifications for VES in your device's settings (Notifications).

What is VES Calendar?

VES Calendar is VES's second mode, at every level: switch with the two icons at the top of the sidebar (Command-1 and Command-2 on the Mac). It holds your exams, study sessions and classes or deadlines, by Month, Week or Agenda, with alerts on each event. Add one with New event or by clicking an empty part of a day. Drag an event to move it; on the Mac, drag its bottom edge in Week to change its length; on iPad, hold it a moment first. An exam tied to a file is that file's exam goal, so the widget and readiness follow it. Your calendar is kept on your device.

How do I start a study session from the calendar?

Give the session a practice (a question file, how many questions, Exam or Study Mode, timed or not). On the day, press Start in Agenda or on the event's card: VES runs that many questions from the file and marks the day done when you finish. Mark as done and Skip this day are on the card too. Daily 10 appears in Week and Agenda at your practice time, and the medium widget lists today's sessions.

Read aloud uses the wrong voice.

VES uses the voices installed on your device: US English, Mexican Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese when they're available. To add a voice: on Mac, System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → System voice → Manage Voices; on iPad, Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices.

Does VES sync between my Mac and iPad?

Not yet. Your scores, attempts, and history are saved to your own iCloud account, so they survive reinstalling the app — but they don't currently appear on your other device. Sharing them between Mac and iPad is planned for a future update. Question files aren't shared either; add them on each device.

My stats or files disappeared after an update.

Stats are stored in iCloud and on-device and should persist. If your sidebar file list is empty, add the files again with the + button — VES only remembers files it has been given permission to open. Question files are never deleted by VES.

I closed the app in the middle of an exam.

Your progress is saved continuously. Reopen VES and you'll be offered the option to resume where you left off, or discard the attempt.

What file format does VES use for question files?

A simple JSON file with a title and a list of questions. Each question has the question text, four options, the index of the correct option, and an optional topic. The easiest way to see the format is to create a quiz in VES from a document, then open the saved file from the app's storage folder.

How do I delete my data?

To delete one file and everything VES keeps about it, right-click it in the sidebar (long-press on iPad) and choose Delete File and Its Data. To delete everything at once, open Settings → General → Delete Everything VES Keeps. Both remove the data from this device and from your iCloud account. Files you opened from your Mac are never deleted; VES only forgets them. Your original documents are never modified.

Subscription

How much does VES cost?

VES is free to download. Every plan starts with a one-week free trial, and one subscription covers your Mac and your iPad when they use the same Apple Account.

  • VES Student (Elementary, Middle school and High school): US$4.99 every 3 months or US$13.99 a year.
  • VES University / Professional (everything in Student, plus University / Professional): US$5.99 every 3 months or US$16.99 a year.
  • VES Teacher (every level, including Teacher): US$6.99 every 3 months or US$18.99 a year.

These are US prices; VES shows your local price before you subscribe.

When will I be charged?

Starting the free trial doesn't charge you. When the week ends, Apple charges your Apple Account for the first period (3 months or a year, depending on the plan you chose) unless you cancel before then. After that the plan renews for the same period, and you're charged within the 24 hours before each renewal, unless you turn off automatic renewal at least 24 hours before the current period ends. The free trial is available once per Apple Account.

How do I change plans?

Open the plans window from a locked level in the level menu, or from Settings → VES Pro → See plans. Moving up (for example, Student to Teacher) starts right away, and Apple refunds the unused part of the old plan. Moving down starts at your next renewal; until then you keep the higher plan. If your new plan doesn't include the level you use, VES moves you to the highest level it includes. Your files and scores stay.

How do I cancel?

In VES, open Settings → VES Pro and choose Manage subscription. You can also cancel from your Apple Account settings: on iPad, Settings → your name → Subscriptions; on Mac, App Store → your name → Account Settings → Subscriptions. If you cancel during the trial, you're never charged. If you cancel later, VES keeps working until the end of the period you've already paid for.

I already subscribed, but VES shows the subscription screen.

Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple Account you subscribed with, then choose Restore purchases in the plans window (or in Settings → VES Pro). VES has no accounts of its own; your subscription is tied to your Apple Account.

How do I get a refund?

Purchases are handled by Apple, so refunds are too. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Terms of Use

VES is licensed under Apple's standard license agreement (EULA). In short, for subscriptions:

  • Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the free week ends, or at purchase if you have already used the trial.
  • The subscription renews automatically for the same period unless automatic renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
  • Renewal is charged within the 24 hours before the end of the current period.
  • You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time in your Apple Account settings. Canceling stops the next renewal; refunds are handled by Apple.
  • Any unused part of a free trial ends when you buy a subscription.

VES is provided by Not a Hero Apps LLC. Contact: VESapp@pm.me.

Privacy

VES collects no data and has no server. Read the full privacy policy.