I cleared the bushes in front of me and made space for myself as I moved forward. The forest was pretty dense, hence it was harder to move around if you weren't being careful.
Half an hour had passed since the practical exam began and if I had to guess the current situation, I'll say that by now all the students were scattered evenly on the island.
My judgment was based on two factors. First, this island was too big thus far, making the chances of running into other students fairly low. So if you aren't trying to find other students, you probably won't run into them by accident.
Secondly, the students won't try to find each other, hence the scenario stated above will not play out. This was because of the hidden tasks. Mr. Halls had said that if you completed a task, but the item was stolen from you, the reward will go to the person who stole and reported it back and not to you.