Quick answer: Exam halls are often big, hard rooms, so instructions from the front echo and small sounds like chair scrapes and coughs carry across the room. Acoustic panels on the rear and upper side walls make announcements clearer and the room calmer. Large halls are usually priced at about S$255 per m² of panels installed. Panels do not stop outside noise.

Key takeaways

  • Big hard halls make announcements echo.
  • Panels on rear and side walls clear them up.
  • About S$255 per m² of panels installed.

Why do exam halls echo?

Most exam halls are school halls or sports halls used for exams. They have high ceilings, hard floors and long bare walls. Sound takes a long time to die away, so each word blurs into the next. Students at the back may miss part of an instruction.

What do panels change?

Panels shorten the echo, so the invigilator's voice is clearer at every desk. Small sounds like a dropped pen or scraping chair do not ring around the room. The hall feels calmer. See what RT60 means.

Not sure what your room needs? Send us a photo on WhatsApp or request a free quote. We'll tell you how many panels, where they go and the price. See our acoustic panels for schools and recent projects.

Clearer exam halls infographic

Where should panels go?

Start with the rear wall, opposite the front where instructions come from. Then the upper side walls, above head height. High ceilings may need scaffolding to treat. See high-ceiling installation and scaffolding.

Echo vs scrapes: the fixes diagram

How much does an exam hall cost?

Large halls are usually priced by area, at about S$255 per m² installed. For example, 40 m² of panels would cost about S$10,200. Scaffolding and night or Sunday work are quoted separately. We can estimate from photos and a floor plan.

What panels will not fix

Panels do not block noise from corridors, fields or traffic. They also do not stop chair legs scraping; felt pads on chair feet do that. Use panels for echo and pads for scrapes. See acoustic treatment vs soundproofing.

Do we need a new sound system too?

Often not. A decent PA can sound poor only because of the echo. Fix the room first and see if the system then works well.

Dual-use halls

The same panels help assemblies, concerts and PE lessons. One upgrade serves the whole year. If the hall is used for ball games, mount panels high on the walls, out of the way.

Timing

Install in the June or December holidays so the hall is ready before the next exam season. Panels are made to order in about 4–6 weeks, so order six weeks or more ahead. Scaffolding for high ceilings is quoted separately, so ask for it in the quote.

What we see on real jobs

In a hard hall, echo can make even a good sound system sound muddy. Fix the room first, then judge the system.

Get a straight answer for your room

Send a photo of the classroom or studio on WhatsApp (+65 8930 1905) with its rough size. We'll recommend panels for clearer lessons and schedule installation around your classes or school holidays.

WhatsApp us a photo · Request a free quote · See prices

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