diff --git a/src/pages/exam/setup/ExamTemplateSetupPage.tsx b/src/pages/exam/setup/ExamTemplateSetupPage.tsx
index 6d35589..c57acfc 100644
--- a/src/pages/exam/setup/ExamTemplateSetupPage.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/exam/setup/ExamTemplateSetupPage.tsx
@@ -211,7 +211,9 @@ const ExamTemplateSetupInner: React.FC = () => {
     setTemplate(detail)
     const editor = editorRef.current
     if (editor) {
-      loadShapes(editor, shapesFromTemplate(detail, pageGeometriesRef.current))
+      const shapes = shapesFromTemplate(detail, pageGeometriesRef.current)
+      loadShapes(editor, shapes)
+      if (!shapes.length) seedGuide(editor)
       bringDomainShapesToFront(editor)
     }
     setDirty(false)
@@ -417,7 +419,14 @@ const ExamTemplateSetupInner: React.FC = () => {
                 editor.store.listen(() => setDirty(true), { scope: 'document' })
                 applyDocViewConstraints(editor, [])
                 editor.resetZoom()
-                if (template) loadShapes(editor, shapesFromTemplate(template, pageGeometriesRef.current)); else seedGuide(editor)
+                // Only seed the example guide for a genuinely-empty template AFTER it has loaded.
+                // (Previously `else seedGuide` fired on mount while `template` was still null during
+                // the async fetch, flashing placeholder shapes before the real shapes/PDF rendered.)
+                if (template) {
+                  const s = shapesFromTemplate(template, pageGeometriesRef.current)
+                  loadShapes(editor, s)
+                  if (!s.length) seedGuide(editor)
+                }
                 bringDomainShapesToFront(editor)
               }}
             />