Privacy Policy

Scope of this Policy

This Policy applies to personal information processed through CAET PREP (the "Portal"), the online preparation resource for candidates of the Combined Admission Entrance Test (CAET). In this Policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to the team responsible for operating the Portal. It should be read together with the Terms and Conditions.

Information we collect

Information you provide

• Account details: your full name, email address, mobile number with country code, and password. Passwords are stored only in encrypted (hashed) form and cannot be read by anyone, including us.
• Questions to mentors: the text of your questions, the subject and topic they concern, any image or PDF you attach, and the responses you receive.
• Enquiries: your name, email address and message when you use the enquiry form.
• Preferences: your choice of light or dark display.

Information collected automatically

• Registration location: when you register, we record the IP address from which you registered and the approximate location associated with it (country, region, city, time zone and internet service provider), obtained through an IP location service. This information is not used to identify your precise location.
• Session information: cookies needed to keep you signed in and to protect forms against misuse (see section 7).
• Technical records: limited technical information, such as error reports, that our servers record in the ordinary course of operating the Portal.

Information stored only on your device

Your progress when practising previous year papers, and your display preference before you sign in, are stored in your browser's local storage. This information remains on your device and is not sent to us.

How we use information

We use personal information only to operate the Portal and to provide its services, namely to:

• create, verify and secure your account, including sending verification codes and password-reset links;
• provide access to the study notes, previous year papers and other resources;
• route your questions to mentors and supervisors, deliver their responses, and arrange live doubt sessions;
• send you emails about your account, your support requests and any sessions you have requested;
• respond to enquiries;
• understand, in general terms, the regions from which candidates use the Portal, so that support can be planned appropriately; and
• maintain the security of the Portal and prevent misuse.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Basis for processing

We process personal information because it is necessary to provide the services you request when you register and use the Portal, on the basis of the consent you give when creating an account, and where necessary to protect the security of the Portal or to comply with legal obligations.

Who can see your information

• Mentors and supervisors see your name and the content of the questions you submit, in order to answer and review them.
• Portal administrators have access to account records, including registration details, to manage the Portal and assist users.
• Service providers engaged by us to operate the Portal process information on our behalf, only as needed to provide their services and under appropriate safeguards.

We may also disclose information where required by law, by a court or by a competent authority, or where necessary to protect the rights and safety of users or of the Portal.

Transfers outside the UAE

Some of our service providers may process information outside the United Arab Emirates. Where this occurs, we rely on providers that apply recognised security measures, and information is transferred only as needed for the purposes described in this Policy.

Cookies and browser storage

The Portal uses only the cookies and browser storage needed for it to work. It does not use advertising or analytics cookies.

How long information is kept

Account information and support history are kept for as long as your account remains open, so that you can continue to use the Portal and refer to earlier responses. Enquiries are kept for as long as needed to deal with them and to keep a record of correspondence. When an account is closed, the associated personal information is deleted or anonymised, except where it must be kept to meet a legal obligation.

Security

All connections to the Portal are encrypted using HTTPS, passwords are stored in hashed form, and access to personal information is limited to those who need it for the purposes described in this Policy. While we take these and other reasonable measures to protect information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your choices and rights

You can update your name and mobile number, and change your password, at any time from your profile. Subject to applicable law, you may also ask us to:

• provide a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• delete your account and the personal information associated with it; or
• stop processing your information where you have withdrawn consent, noting that some processing is necessary to provide the Portal's services.

To make a request, please contact us as described in section 13. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on a request.

Candidates under 18

Many candidates for the CAET are still at school. Candidates under the age of 18, or under the age of legal majority in their country of residence, should use the Portal with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian, who may contact us about the candidate's information.

Changes to this Policy

We may revise this Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes to the Portal or to the law. The date of the latest revision is shown at the top of this page. Where a change is significant, we will take reasonable steps to inform registered users.

Contact

Questions or requests concerning this Policy or your personal information may be sent through the enquiry form.