MTB Exams vs Shell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MTB Exams
Record and submit instrumental music exams with audio or video. This app facilitates the submission process for qualifications from grades 1 to 8, offering flexibility and convenience for learners and teachers.
- Record audio and video exams
- Review and delete recordings
- Scan and submit free choice music
- Submit exams for marking
- Save exams for later submission
- Access guidance and help
- Recording safety features
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Record and submit your MTB instrumental exam using this app. This is the newest version of the MTB app and should be used for submission of all exams from February 2021 onwards. The Music Teachers’ Board are a UK based exam board providing an exciting new way to access instrumental qualifications from grades 1 to 8 in over 25 different instruments. Our exams are recorded by either the teacher or learner, submitted online and marked by our specialist examiners. As there is no visiting examiner, unlike other boards, our exams offer: - Complete flexibility over exam dates - Reduced stress levels for pupils and teachers - Optimised rate of progress - Lower costs - Specialist examiners - Convenience Visit www.mtbexams.com to learn more and find recording advice. This app is for use by both audio and video MTB centres and self-learners. To sign up as an approved MTB centre you will need to have signed up as an ‘Individual Music Teacher’ or ‘Organisation’ on our website: https://www.mtbexams.com/sign-up/. Exams can be conducted in video without a teacher or centre present. App Features: - Record in both audio and video: Using your phone or tablet you can use this app to record your MTB exam. MTB will assign you video or audio exams based on whether you centre is an audio or video centre, exam type (practical/performance) and whether you have a teacher overseeing the exam. - Review: You can listen to or watch your recording and either delete the recording or save the exam for submission. - Scan: You can scan/photo your free choice music to submit alongside your exam. - Submit: You can submit your exam recording directly to MTB for marking. You will receive your result & marksheet within 2 weeks by email and a certificate will follow in the post. - Save for later: You can save your exam for later submission. (To retake the exam, you will need to delete this saved exam). - Guidance & help: The app includes useful information and guidance before you start the exam and has a range of information to help teachers/learners with the exam process. - Recording safety features: You will be able to check your recording quality, that you have sufficient space available on your device and place your phone on to airplane mode for the duration of the exam recording to ensure your exam is not interrupted. You will also be able to add additional clips should your exam be interrupted. - Identity verification: Video exams will require you to photo the candidates ID with the MTB app during submission. - Share: Share submitted exam recordings.
Shell
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Shell-E has been developed for ecology field teaching and provides a simple way to connect practical fieldwork with real ecological data collection. Students can join an organised practical using their student number, with no need to create a conventional username and password account. Once joined, Shell-E automatically connects them to their team, demonstrator and allocated survey area. During fieldwork, students can record snail observations, capture GPS locations, add measurements and photographs, record marking information and see observations appear on the practical map. Records can also be stored safely when connectivity is poor and synced when a connection becomes available. Shell-E supports capture–mark–recapture teaching across linked practical sessions. Students can see the observed counts required for their calculations while carrying out the analysis themselves. The app also includes: • Interactive survey maps and team areas • Live team leaderboards • Field guidance and identification support • Practical-specific student onboarding • Golden Snail challenges for field sessions • Secure demonstrator marking • Historical Shell-E records and year-by-year mapping • Independent recording outside organised practicals Teaching staff can manage practicals, allocate students to teams and survey areas, control leaderboard visibility, communicate with the class and configure demonstrator access from the Teacher Admin area. Shell-E is designed primarily for ecology teaching at the University of Exeter, while also allowing independent users to contribute suitable ecological observations.
Screenshots
Verdict
MTB Exams and Shell are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MTB Exams ships an update every 2 weeks, Shell every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MTB Exams | Shell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MTB Exams Ltd | Dave Hudson |
In-app purchases
MTB Exams
No in-app purchases
Shell
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MTB Exams free?
Is Shell free?
Do MTB Exams or Shell have ads?
Which is updated more often, MTB Exams or Shell?
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