How the Practice Exchange works

1. 1

   Step 1: Join, once

   Sign in, confirm you are 18 or older, accept the code of conduct below, and choose Beginner or Intermediate. You get a random alias, such as “Amber Heron 42”. Other members only ever see that alias, never your name.

2. 2

   Step 2: Book a slot, or propose your own times

   On the board, pick an open slot and press Book. Or add times when you are free on Your availability, and others book you. All times are shown in your own time zone. Booking closes 1 hour before a session starts.

3. 3

   Step 3: Get ready

   Both of you get a confirmation email with a calendar file. On Your sessions you see two suggested cases from the site's library. For the case you will run, you get the interviewer view with the answers and the data. For the case you will solve, you get only the candidate view, so it stays a surprise.

4. 4

   Step 4: Meet on a free video call

   The join link appears 15 minutes before the start. It opens Jitsi Meet, a free video service, in a new tab, with your alias filled in as your name. Check that your name shows your alias before others join. Jitsi's free server sometimes asks the first person to sign in (for example with Google) before the call can start; that sign-in is with Jitsi, not with us, and your sign-in name could show, so change it to your alias. Cameras are optional.

5. 5

   Step 5: Take turns

   In the first half, the person who booked interviews the person who offered the slot. In the second half, you swap. Keep about 5 minutes at the end of each half for feedback, using the five-part rubric in the interviewer view.

6. 6

   Step 6: Rate each other

   From 30 minutes after the start until 7 days after the end, rate your partner: did they show up, 1 to 5 stars, five skills (optional), and a private note. You must rate your last session before you can book again.

A partner is easiest to find when many people practice at the same time. So the board shows a few fixed hours each week first, with how many slots are open at each one. Every other time still works as before.

The board shows each hour in your own time zone. Each hour is fixed in the time zone of the region it serves, so when clocks change for summer or winter it stays at the same local time there, and the board tells you if it moves in yours.

• Book or propose. Press Book to take an open slot someone offered, or Propose to offer your own times.
• I want a partner at this hour. One tap tells hosts that one more person is looking. They see a count, never who. It is removed when the hour starts, and no email is sent for it. You can wait at up to 6 upcoming hours at once.
• Host at this hour. Two taps add a 60 minute slot at the hour, for any case, in your first language. It is a normal slot with the usual limits, and you get the usual emails.
• Best match first. Best match lists slots you can book first, then the most reliable partners, the closest level to yours, and the highest rating.

A school or club can ask us for a group code. Members who enter it on their exchange profile see open slots from their group first, marked “Your group”, once the group has at least 5 members.

• Joining is your choice. Without a code, the board is the same as for everyone.
• The group name is never on a card. Members outside the group cannot see that it exists, and nobody sees a list of who is in it.
• Your card stays the same: alias, level, rating and reliability. Ratings stay blind.
• Leaving deletes the link at once. So does deleting your account.

Blind ratings

You see what your partner said about you only after you have rated them yourself, or when rating closes 7 days after the session. Your partner sees yours the same way. So nobody can change a rating after seeing the other one, and ratings stay honest. A rating counts in public numbers only once it is released.

Your rating

Everyone starts at 3.5 stars. Your shown rating is the average of your stars, with five extra 3.5-star ratings mixed in. This means one very good or very bad session cannot swing it much, and it moves closer to your true average as you do more sessions. Until you have 3 ratings, others see “New” instead of a number.

Levels

Levels change by themselves, one step at a time, after each released rating. To keep things fair, at most 2 sessions and 2 ratings with the same partner count, so you move up by practicing with different people. A partner counts only when their account is at least 7 days old and they have done sessions with at least 2 other members.

Advanced cannot be chosen when you join; it is earned. Your exchange profile shows your progress and the reason for any change.

Reliability

Everyone sees a reliability badge, based on no-shows and late cancellations in your last 10 sessions. A late cancellation is one made less than 12 hours before the start. Only you see your own counts, on your exchange profile.

• Reliable: none.
• Mostly reliable: one.
• Often misses sessions: two or more.

Reliability counts in matching: with "Best match first" on the board, members with no missed sessions are listed first.

These keep the board fair and stop anyone from filling it up.

• Slots start at least 2 hours and at most 30 days ahead, on a 5-minute mark.
• Sessions last 45, 60, or 90 minutes. You can repeat a time weekly for up to 4 weeks.
• Up to 10 open slots at a time, and no two of your slots or sessions can overlap.
• Up to 5 upcoming sessions that you booked.
• Booking closes 1 hour before a session starts.
• You can change your alias 3 times.

Everyone accepts these rules when they join. Breaking them can get you removed from the Exchange.

• Be respectful

  Treat your partner the way you would treat a colleague. Give honest feedback kindly, and take feedback calmly.

• No discrimination or harassment

  No comments about anyone’s race, religion, nationality, accent, gender, sexuality, age, disability, or looks. No insults, threats, or unwanted personal remarks.

• Show up on time

  Join at the start time. If you cannot make it, cancel as early as you can. Cancelling less than 12 hours before, or not showing up, lowers your reliability.

• Cameras are optional

  Audio is enough. Turn your camera on only if you want to. Never record a session.

• Use your alias

  Join the video call with your Exchange alias as your display name. You do not need to say your real name, school, or employer.

• Keep contact details private

  Do not ask for or share email addresses, phone numbers, social media, or other contact details in a session.

• Report problems

  If something goes wrong, use Report on the session. We read every report and can remove people from the Exchange.

• If you feel uncomfortable during a call, you can leave at any time. You do not need to explain.
• To report a problem, open the session on Your sessions and press Report a problem. Choose harassment, discrimination, inappropriate content, a no-show dispute, or something else, and add details. Your partner is not told who reported them.
• If your partner marked you as a no-show but you were there, report it as a no-show dispute. If we agree, the no-show is removed.
• You can block anyone you have practiced with. After that, neither of you sees the other's slots or can book the other. They are not told.
• The Exchange team reads every report and can remove people. If anyone threatens you or you are in danger, contact your local emergency services first.
• Never share passwords, bank details, or contact details, and never send money to another member.

• What other members see: your alias, a random member number that changes when you change your alias, your level, rating, number of completed sessions, and reliability badge. Nothing else.
• What stays private: your email, name, school or company, situation, time zone, any group you joined, and the practice hours where you said you want a partner (others see only a count). Your email is used only to send you booking emails.
• Feedback is seen only by the person it is about, when ratings are released.
• Video calls run on Jitsi Meet (run by 8x8). We do not record calls, and you should not either.
• Deleting: “Delete my account” removes your exchange profile, slots, upcoming sessions, and the feedback you wrote.

The full details are in the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service.