It says something in the Wiki about an examination mode, but I don't understand how to get to it in-game.
I think it was removed to be honest.. I remember running into it in an earlier version, but I haven't seen it since - and I play quite a bit of heboris.
It used to be random but I don't see it appearing in the recent versions. To enable it manually, press the HOLD button three times, and keep it pressed the third time. Then press A on Master/20G.
this brings up another good question, i remember a version being released where instead of putting your initials in after a game you did so before starting a session--is that an option somewhere? and the promotional exams in heboris, they are no different from normal games, are they? do they just give you a random rank requirement or is it based on your games like in Ti or what?
The version you're referring to is the LITE I believe. That feature is not an option in UE to my knowledge. The promotional exams give you a grade and you either pass or fail it, regardless if you top out. I'm not positive but I think the grade requirement it assigns is random to a degree. The exam seems to give you a grade from a range of grades, and when you successfully complete the task it assigns, the range narrows/shifts to higher grades.