laitszkin/exam-pdf-workflow

Exam PDF Workflow

Dependencies

• Required: pdf for reading source PDFs, rendering deliverables, and final PDF QA.
• Conditional: document-vision-reader when handwritten answers, scanned pages, or layout-sensitive grading require visual inspection instead of raw text extraction.
• Conditional: katex when the output contains mathematical notation that should be rendered instead of left as raw TeX/plain text.
• Optional: none.
• Fallback: If pdf is unavailable, stop and report the blocked dependency instead of improvising a text-only workflow.

Standards

• Evidence: Read the actual source PDFs and answer-book pages first, and verify any referenced file path against the filesystem before acting.
• Execution: Decide the task mode first, extract the needed source content, produce the full deliverable set for that mode, then inspect rendered PDFs before finishing.
• Quality: Treat solution books, math rendering, layout cleanup, and graded-PDF output as default completion criteria when the task implies them; do not leave raw TeX, ambiguous scoring, or unverified PDF layout behind.
• Output: Save only the requested final PDFs in the target folder and report the exact output paths plus grading or coverage notes.

Overview

Use this skill for study-material workflows where PDFs are both the input and the final deliverable. The skill covers source reading, mock-exam authoring, solution generation, math typesetting, handwritten-answer grading, and graded-PDF production.

Workflow

1) Confirm the real input/output paths

• Verify every user-mentioned PDF path on disk before reading it.
• If the named file is missing but a clearly matching nearby file exists, switch to the real file and state the exact path used.
• Confirm the target output folder before rendering; create it only when the task requires writing deliverables.

2) Choose the task mode

Pick one primary mode, and combine modes when the user asks for a package:

• source-summary: read lecture slides, past papers, or error books and extract study notes.
• mock-exam: create a new exam paper modeled on source material or user weaknesses.
• solution-book: produce worked solutions for an exam paper.
• grading: mark a completed answer book and write scores back into a graded PDF.
• typesetting-refresh: improve layout, rebuild formulas with KaTeX, or clean up an existing PDF package.

3) Read source materials first

• Use pdf to extract the source exam, lecture slides, marking scheme, error book, or answer book.
• When the source is handwritten, scanned, or visually complex, use document-vision-reader so judgments come from the rendered page rather than noisy OCR alone.
• Base the output on the actual source artifacts; do not invent syllabus scope, notation, or marking rules when the source does not support them.

4) Produce the complete deliverable set for the chosen mode

mock-exam

• Build the paper around the user's weak topics or the patterns visible in the source materials.
• Match the source paper's structure, tone, and sectioning closely enough to feel familiar without copying it verbatim.
• Unless the user explicitly says otherwise, also produce a matching solution-book as part of the same task.

solution-book

• Give full working, not answer-only stubs.
• Keep notation and variable names aligned with the paired exam paper.
• Use concise marking-friendly steps so the solution can also act as the grading reference.

grading

• Establish or derive the answer key before assigning scores.
• Judge each question from the rendered student pages, not from OCR fragments alone when handwriting matters.
• Write per-question scores and the total score into a new graded PDF rather than only reporting marks in chat.
• If any page is unreadable or ambiguous, say so explicitly and grade conservatively with a short note.

typesetting-refresh

• Improve spacing, pagination, headings, and section breaks so the PDF reads like a clean exam handout.
• Rebuild all mathematical expressions through katex when formulas appear.
• Do not leave raw TeX, ASCII approximations, or partially rendered formulas in the final PDF.

5) Render math correctly

• When the output includes formulas, invoke katex and render the expressions before PDF export.
• Use display math for multi-step derivations and dense formulas; use inline math only for short expressions.
• After rendering, visually verify representative pages so symbols, superscripts, fractions, and brackets display correctly.

6) Run PDF visual QA before finishing

• Open the rendered PDFs and inspect representative pages.
• Always check:
  • the first page
  • one page with dense mathematics
  • one page with longer prose or worked solutions
  • any page with grading annotations when in grading mode
• Confirm that layout is readable, formulas are fully rendered, page breaks are sensible, and annotations are visible.
• Revise and re-render if math, spacing, or score overlays are unclear.

Default completion rules

• If the user asks for a mock exam, default to delivering both the exam PDF and its solution PDF.
• If the user asks to improve exam formatting and the paper contains formulas, default to KaTeX-rendered math.
• If the user asks for grading, default to a new graded PDF with visible marks plus a chat summary of per-question scores.
• If the task is read-only, do not modify files; provide notes only.

Output rules

• Keep filenames explicit and stable, for example ... Mock Test.pdf, ... Solution.pdf, or ..._graded.pdf.
• Store outputs in the user-requested folder when one is given; otherwise reuse the source document's nearby study-material folder.
• Report the exact final PDF paths and any unresolved ambiguity, such as unreadable handwriting or missing marking guidance.