Exam activity

Exams are generally used as final course assessments but can also be used as practice exams in open-ended and training courses. Certification courses require an exam to be marked complete. 

Unlike quizzes, exams do not provide immediate feedback. Additionally, exams do not show the related course material after answering questions, allow community discussion, or measure accuracy using the Certain and Uncertain buttons. Instead, feedback and review are only available after the exam is closed and scored. 

Creating a new exam

Follow the steps below to create a new exam: 

1. While in the curriculum, click the + icon and select Exam from the menu.
2. Click the "Untitled Exam" field and give the exam a name. 
3. Double-click on the exam icon to begin building the activity.
4. Enter any special instructions for learners in the Introduction text area. This area can also be left blank. 
5. Enter an estimated activity time using the time picker. 
6. Click Save to begin assigning questions and configure the exam experience.

Assigning questions

Follow the steps below to assign questions to a exam: 

1. Click the Test Settings icon on the drawer on the right side of the screen. This will open the drawer with the Questions tab in view. 
   
   
   
   
2. All questions created within the course will be visible by default. To view questions from other courses, click Set Filters. Then, use the Course filter to find the course containing questions you want to assign. Additionally, you can clear all courses from the filter to view all questions on the platform and assign them to this exam. 
   
   Click the New Question button to create a new question. Or, click the Assign IDs to paste in a list of specific question IDs and bulk assign them to the exam. 
3. Select the questions you want to assign using the checkboxes to the right of each question.
4. Click the Assign to Exam button at the bottom of the screen. 

Questions can also be removed from exams using the Remove from Exam button. 

Configuring question pools

Pools can control the distribution of questions on a quiz or exam, delivering a specific number of questions from a pre-selected group or groups. For example, pools can be created based on course topics, so every assessment will contain a set number of questions from each topic. 

Creating pools before assigning questions to the quiz can save time.

Follow the steps below to configure a pool: 

1. Click the Test Settings icon on the drawer on the right side of the screen and select the Pools tab.
2. Click the Add Pool button. If questions have already been assigned to the quiz, they will automatically be assigned to the first pool. Pools can be changed using the drop-down menus below each question on the Questions tab. 
   
   
   If questions have not yet been assigned to the quiz, pool assignment will be available when questions are selected on the Questions tab.
   
   
3. After assigning questions to the quiz, navigate to the Pools tab and set the Required value. The Assigned value shows the total number of questions in the pool, while the Required value is the number of questions from that pool that must appear on the assessment. 

Configuring exam settings

Follow the steps below to configure an exam: 

1. Click the Test Settings icon on the drawer on the right side of the screen and select the Options tab.
2. A Passing Score is optional. When linear progression is enabled, students cannot proceed to the next activity until they pass the exam. If no passing score is configured, students will be able to proceed regardless of their score. 
3. Enter the maximum time allowed to complete the exam in the Max Time field. 
4. Configure the following General settings: 
   • Question Order by selecting either Random or Sequential. 
   • Continuous - By default, pausing an exam also pauses the countdown timer. However, if Continuous is enabled, the timer cannot be paused once the exam has started. 
   • Lock Score - If enabled, the score will be hidden from the student until manually reviewed. 
   • Final Exam - Use this to indicate if an exam is the final exam. This is important for Certifiable course types where the final exam score may need to be included on the certificate and reported to a regulator. 
5. Configure the Attempts settings: 
   • Limit attempts - By default, exams allow unlimited attempts until a passing score is achieved. If enabled, the number of attempts can be set by entering a value the Max Attempts field. Additionally, attempts can be reset using the Reset Attempts drop-down menu. Select Never, End of Calendar Year, or Number of Days. If Number of Days is selected, enter a value in the corresponding Number of Days field. 
6. Configure the Experience settings: 
   • Random Answer Choices - randomize the order of answer choices
   • Configure the Display Correct Answers settings:
     • Always in review - Correct answers are always displayed, regardless of score 
     • Only after passing - Correct answers will only be displayed after achieving a passing score
     • Never show if incorrect - Correct answers are never displayed 
   • Configure the Answer Review settings:
     • Always allow - Students can always review the exam questions, regardless of score
     • Allow after passing - Students can review all exam questions only after achieving a passing score
     • Allow incorrect after passing - Students can review only the incorrectly answered exam questions after achieving a passing score
     • Never allow review -  Does not allow any questions to be reviewed, regardless of score
   • Configure the Test Tools settings:
     • Calculator - Provides students with an on-screen calculator in a resizable window
     • Strikethrough - Allows students to practice test-taking skills by striking out answer choices they know are not correct
7. When finished, click the Save button.