Cookies Policy

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We also use similar technologies such as local storage and session storage, which let the browser remember information between visits or during a single browsing session.

This Cookies Policy explains what we store, why we store it, and how you can control it. For broader data practices, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

On Civil Service Exam Review Platform, cookies and browser storage help us:

• Keep the platform working reliably and securely.
• Remember your preferences (such as light or dark theme).
• Recognize anonymous returning visitors for community statistics.
• Track live reviewer presence and daily visitor metrics.
• Remember UI choices (tour completion, dismissed prompts).
• Measure anonymous site usage and performance through Vercel Analytics.
• Maintain signed-in sessions when you use an account (via Firebase Authentication).

We do not use cookies for third-party advertising or cross-site tracking profiles.

The table below describes the main cookies and storage items used on this platform:

Firebase and Vercel may set additional technical cookies required for authentication, security, and hosting. Refer to their respective privacy documentation for details.

A core feature of Civil Service Exam Review Platform is the Reviewer Community panel, which shows how many people are studying on the platform.

• While you browse, your browser sends a lightweight heartbeat about every 30 seconds (when the tab is visible) using your anonymous visitor ID.
• This powers the “reviewing right now” live count.
• When your session goes inactive (no heartbeat for about 3 minutes), that session is credited once to the total active reviewers count.
• We also track unique visitors per day (Philippine time) for the “unique today” statistic.

These metrics use anonymous identifiers — they do not require an account and do not display your name publicly.

We group our use of cookies and storage into these categories:

• Strictly necessary — required for security, authentication, and core functionality. The site cannot operate properly without these.
• Functional — remember preferences and improve your experience (theme, tour, dismissed prompts).
• Analytics — help us understand usage patterns and performance (visitor metrics, Vercel Analytics).

Because many features are free and essential to the study experience, we do not currently show a separate cookie consent banner. You can still control storage through your browser settings as described below.

Some cookies and storage are managed by trusted third parties:

• Google Firebase — authentication sessions, database access tokens, and optional push notification support.
• Vercel — hosting infrastructure and privacy-friendly analytics.
• Google Sign-In — if you choose Google authentication, Google's policies apply to that sign-in flow.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these providers for more information about their cookies and data handling.

You can control cookies and local storage at any time:

• Browser settings — most browsers let you block, delete, or clear site data. Look for “Privacy,” “Cookies,” or “Site data” in your browser settings.
• Clear site data for Civil Service Exam Review Platform — removes your visitor ID, theme preference, and other locally stored values. You may need to sign in again.
• Notification permission — revoke push notification access in your browser or device settings.
• Do Not Track — we honor reasonable browser privacy signals where technically feasible, though industry standards vary.

Blocking strictly necessary cookies or storage may prevent sign-in, progress saving, or accurate community statistics.

If you switch between light and dark mode, your choice is saved locally so the platform looks the same on your next visit. Similarly, if you complete the guided tour or dismiss optional prompts, we store a small flag so we do not interrupt your study flow repeatedly.

These preferences are not used for advertising and are not sold to third parties.

We may update this Cookies Policy when we add features or change how technologies are used. Check the “Last updated” date above. Significant changes may be noted on the website.

Questions? Email michorobledo25@gmail.com or read our Privacy Policy.