Creating tests and managing test questions – Docebo Help & Support

Introduction

Tests play a crucial role in the educational process by providing a structured means of assessing learning and offering feedback for improvement. You can insert them both in e-learning and Instructor-Led Training (ILT) courses.

This article explains how to create and manage tests for courses. To learn more about tests, refer to the following articles:

Requirements and limitations

When composing text for questions and answers, please note that the text boxes in this area do not support HTML content.

Creating a test

Begin by reaching the Admin menu (gear icon), then select the Course management item in the E-learning section. On the Courses management page, identify the course in which you would like to create your test, and click on its description. Then, move to the Training material tab.

To create a new test, press the Add training material button and select the Test option from the dropdown menu. On the next page, insert a title and a description into the corresponding text boxes.

Switch to the Additional info tab to add a short description of the test and select or upload a thumbnail. Finally, press Save changes to create the test. Once the test is created, you will be redirected to the test’s Edit page.

At any time you can edit the test title, description and its additional info from the edit page, by clicking on the pen and paper icon that is shown after clicking on the menu icon in the test row of the course Training material tab.

New Test

On the top of the test configuration page, you will see an action bar, where you can configure the test options, manage the time, score, and feedback of the tests, or import or export the test as a GIFT file.

Directly below the action bar, you will see a button that allows you to add questions. When you press the Add Question item, you then choose which kind of question you would like to insert into the test from the dropdown menu.

Please Note! When writing text for questions and answers, remember that the text boxes of this area do not accept HTML content.

Adding questions to a test

To create questions for a test, begin by identifying the key concepts and/or skills that you want to assess. Take the time to choose the appropriate question types based on the learning objectives and the desired level of cognitive engagement.

The available question types are described in detail in the following chapters of this article:

Single choice
Multiple choice
Extended text
Fill in the blanks
Inline choice
Text entry
Association
Uploaded file

In addition, you organize questions using titles and page breaks.

After selecting the question types, formulate the actual questions making sure they are clear, concise, and free from ambiguity. Some question types allow you to choose a difficulty level, shuffle the answers, and add a maximum time limit for each answer.

Click on Add question to add a question to the test, selecting its type from the dropdown menu.

Independently from the question type, use the Question text area to write the text of the question and format it using the available options and optionally associate the question to a category by clicking Select category and choosing a category in the right panel that opens. Categories are defined in the Question bank.

Depending on the question type, you might also be able to select a level of difficulty and to shuffle answers.

Editing questions in a test

Once the questions are created, you may need to review them over time to make sure they are kept aligned with the course training objectives, or after receiving feedback from learners or other users.

The questions you created are listed on the test page. Every row corresponds to a question and displays the following details: question title, page of belonging, category, score, and question type. Use the pen and paper icon to edit the question or the X icon to delete it.

Please note: You cannot edit the question type.

When you modify the questions in a live test, the learners who have already finished the test will not see the test change. Their previous test outcomes and completion status will remain unchanged. Only new participants (or those who restart the test) will see the updates (including those made on the scoring system).

If you imported the question from the Question bank, click on the unlink icon to detach it from the test. You cannot edit a question coming from the Question bank within the test.

Editing questions in a test Types of questions

Test questions can be delivered in various formats:

Single choice question type

For this type of question, learners can choose a single answer among the answer choices because there is only one correct answer. When you create a single-choice question, you will then need to mark which answer is the correct one. Select this option from the Add question dropdown menu when creating a question.

In the Question section, type the question into the corresponding text box. You can edit the text or add links or images as necessary. Then, move to the Answers section and press the Add answer button. After you type the answer into the corresponding text box, press Add. You can select the checkbox on the left side of the answer that you want to identify as correct.

You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer, and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question. Please note that you can edit or delete an answer using the corresponding icons in the answer row.

This type of question is one of the most popular choices because it allows you to give precise instructions to learners and provide feedback after they select an answer. When you’re finished, you can select the option to add the question to the Question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save changes. The question will look like this for learners:

Multiple choice question type

For this type of question, learners must choose more than one correct answer from a list of choices. When you create a multiple-choice question, add more than two answers. This way, learners will understand that they have to pick more than one answer. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question.

In the Question section, begin by adding the question to the corresponding text box. You can edit the text or add links or images as necessary. Then, move to the Answers section and press the Add answer button. After you type the answer into the corresponding text box, press Add.

Multiple Choice Question Type

You can select the checkbox on the left side of the answers that you want to identify as correct. You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer, and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question.

To evaluate multiple-choice questions, you have two options:

Equally divide the total score for the right answers. Therefore, if the learner gets one answer correct, they will still get partial credit. Mark the entire question as wrong if the learner doesn’t select all of the correct answer choices.
To finish setting up this type of question, you need to select an additional setting within your platform. To do so, access the Admin menu, then choose the Advanced settings option from Settings Area. In the Advanced Settings menu, select the E-learning tab from the tab menu on the left. In the Options section, select the third option: If this option is enabled, a multiple-choice test question that is only partially correct will be marked as incorrect (for example, if the user selects only two out of three correct answers)

Once the above option is selected, when you insert a multiple-choice question into a test, learners must select all of the correct answers otherwise, the multiple-choice question will not be considered correct. You can build this kind of question in different ways:

Give learners a list of options with more than one correct answer.
Give learners a phrase to complete and ask them to choose the correct options from a list.

Extended text question type

For this type of question, learners will respond with an extended text written by themselves, instead of choosing among a list of options. You can use this tool to verify your learners’ in-depth knowledge and understanding of the course. Select this option from the Add question dropdown menu when creating a question.

This kind of question requires more control from the Admin because the platform is not able to calculate the score. In the Question section, write the question into the corresponding text box. You can edit the text or add links or images as necessary. Be sure to provide clear instructions on how users should answer the question.

When you’re finished, you can select the option to add the question to the Question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes. Refer to the Evaluating extended texts and uploaded files chapter of this article to learn how to evaluate this question type. The question will appear like this for learners:

Fill-in-the-blank question type

You can also add fill-in-the-blank questions to tests. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question.

Begin by writing the question in the Question box. Below, you will see a plus sign button labeled Add answer. Click this button to add the possible answers for a single blank in the question, then type the correct answers in the box labeled accordingly. Press the enter, tab, or comma keys on your keyboard to add the answer. The spaces before and after the text of the answers are not considered characters and the platform will remove them both when you, as the Superadmin, type the text for answers while configuring the test, and when learners answer the question.

You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer, and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question.

After typing all of the possible correct answers for a blank, you can select whether you want to answers to be case-sensitive, then select a score for the answer and press the Add button.

If your question has more than one blank, you’ll need to repeat the process of adding another answer, typing in all of the possible answers for that specific blank, then saving them by pressing the Add button. You’ll notice that once you have added answers, they will appear in the answers list in the middle of a page with a shortcode. To insert the answers into the question, highlight the answer in the question box, then click on the shortcode from the answers list to replace the highlighted text.

Please Note! The answer box uses commas to separate different variations of the correct answer for a question. For this reason, it is recommended that you insert answers being a single word or a short phrase without commas, as commas segment the single answer into multiple parts. For the same reason, remember to use the dot key as decimal separator for numbers.

After inserting the shortcodes into the question, you can choose to consider the question correct only if the learner provides correct answers for all of the blanks in the question. Simply select the box at the bottom of the page to enable this option. When you’re finished, you can select the option to add the question to the Question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save changes. The question will look like this for learners:

Inline choice question type

For this type of question, learners must select the correct answer from a dropdown menu. Similar to the single-choice question, the inline choice has only one correct option. However, this option should be composed of only a few words, instead of complex phrases. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question.

Begin by writing the question in the Question box. Below, you will see a plus sign button labeled Add answer. Click this button to add the possible answers for the dropdown menu that will appear at the end of the question, then type the answers in the box labeled accordingly. You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer, and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question.

After typing all of the possible correct answers for a blank, select a score for the answer and press the Add button. Be sure to select one of the possible answers as Correct. Please note that the dropdown menu for this type of question will appear at the end by default. However, if you want it to appear in the middle or beginning of the question, use the "answer" shortcode (writing "answer" between square brackets) as a placeholder for the dropdown menu when typing the question into the question text box.

Please Note! If users do not select any option when answering Inline Choice questions, the first option in the list of answers is considered as their final answer.

Text entry question type

For this type of question, learners must fill in the blank portion of a sentence with the correct missing piece. Remember: When you create this type of question, it’s important to think about very short answers (no longer than one or two words). Please note that answers are not case-sensitive. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question.

Begin by writing the question in the Question text box. Then, below, add the correct answer in the corresponding text box. You can add a score and comments to the answer as desired. This type of question can only have one correct answer.

Association question type

For this type of question, learners must associate answer choices with a topic. When creating this question, explain to the learners what they will have to accomplish (in the Question box) and fill in the answer boxes with the elements that associate with one another. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question.

In Group A, type in one element. Then in Group B, type in the associating element. Then, press Add. Repeat the process to create as many associations as desired. Please note that the order in which you add the answers is the order in which the answers will appear to the learner unless you select the option to shuffle the answers.

Once you’ve added all of the associated answers, press Next. On the next page, use the corresponding dropdown menus to match the Group A and Group B elements. When you’re finished, you can select the option to add the question to the Question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save changes. The question will look like this for learners:

Please Note! If users do not select any option when answering Association questions, the first option in the list of answers is considered as their final answer.

Upload file question type

For this question, learners are asked to upload a file that will be downloaded and evaluated by the instructor. You can request various file formats, such as PDF, PPT, Word documents, and images. You can use this type of question in several different ways to create a thorough evaluation of a learner's knowledge and skills.

Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question.

In the Question text box, type in the instructions for users to upload a file. Then, press Save changes. Refer to the Evaluating Extended Texts and Uploaded Files chapter of this article to learn how to evaluate this question type.

Titles and page breaks

The last two options in the add question menu are Title and Page break. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question.

Use these to divide the test into various parts or provide an explanation for the test before users begin answering the questions. When you add these elements to a test, you can use the cross-section in the page break or title row to delegate where they belong in the test.

If you add a title, you will need to type in the instructions or introduction of the test in the text box. Note that page breaks are always added automatically to the bottom of the test, but you can rearrange them between questions using the cross icon to apply them where desired. Then, press Save changes.

Evaluating extended texts and uploaded files

To evaluate extended texts and uploaded file question types, the instructor or Admin must access a course’s reporting area. In order to do so, as an instructor, press the Reports button in the action bar at the top of the course page. As a Superadmin, you can also access the statistics through the Reports tab at the top of the course page in the Course management menu, find the course in the list, press the ellipsis icon at the end of the course’s row, then press the Reports item from the dropdown menu.

On this page, access the User Statistics tab. Here, you will find a list of users that have submitted extended texts or files in this course. In the list, press the username of the user, then scroll to the bottom of the user’s statistics page. Here, you will find the training materials that have been completed or uploaded by the user. Then, click on the title of the material to edit the score in the pop-up box.

Analyzing test statistics

As the instructor of the course, or as the platform Superadmin, you can analyze statistics related to the test. In order to do so, as an instructor, press the Reports button in the action bar at the top of the course page. As a Superadmin, you can also access the statistics through the Reports tab at the top of the course page in the Course Management menu, find the course in the list, press the ellipsis icon at the end of the course’s row, then press the Reports item from the dropdown menu.

Here, you can find reports and statistics related to the course. Select the Training materials statistics tab. Then, click the title of the test from the list of training materials. The statistics will tell you how learners have answered the questions. From the list in the table, you will know how each learner has answered each question.

You are able to export results by opening the Export as dropdown menu, choosing between CSV or Excel, and then clicking the Download icon on the left of the drop-down menu.

Please Note! In the downloaded report you will see the Passed user status when the user has passed the test, and instead you will see the Valid status when the Superadmin or the instructor has manually changed the score of the test for that user, through the Score management function.

Note on the text editor

Please remember that the rendering of the output of WYSIWYG editors used for text input may be slightly different from the input, depending on the CSS rules applied.

Best practices

Keep the following best practices in mind when creating and managing tests:

Use a test as the last training material of the course, to complete it.
Use a test as the first training material of the course, to create a pre-assessment and a user self-evaluation about the course.
Use a short test in a course after training material to reinforce the learning.
When you create a test training material, before trying the test you may want to duplicate the course so that it will be easier to modify the test settings on the original copy, as the test training material gets locked and cannot be edited after a user has started it.
Questions cannot be created in multiple languages. If you need to create questions in different languages, you need to create several tests for every needed language.
When setting scores for an answer, it's recommended that one of the two values (either Correct Answer or Incorrect Answer) is set to 0 (zero), as the scores of the non-selected answers are also summed or deducted from the test total score. For example, if you set the answer of a multiple-choice question to give - 2 points when answered wrong and 4 points when answered right, users will get -2 points for that question even when selecting another wrong answer.

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