Maximizing paper spread in examination timetabling using a vehicle routing method

One of the desirable attributes of real-life examination timetabling solutions is the maximization of paper spread, which is a measure of the amount of study time that each student has between examinations. We make use of the push-forward insertion heuristic (PFIH), a technique commonly employed in the vehicle routing problem, to find timetable solutions that maximize paper spread. This is done by including PFIH as part of a hybrid exam-timetablmg framework known as the Combined Method.