Test block reference
Every scored question type, what you set up as an author, and what the learner does with it. Each one below has a working example you can try.
The options that apply to most of them are described once at the bottom, under scoring, partial credit and shuffling.
Multiple choice
Setting it up. Write the question, add the options, and mark which are correct. Allow multiple correct answers turns it from "pick one" into "pick all that apply". Points are set per answer, so a question with three correct options can award points for each one the learner finds.
For the learner. Radio buttons for a single answer, checkboxes when several are allowed. With multiple answers they see how the points add up only after submitting.
True or false
Setting it up. A statement and which of the two it is. One setting, no options list.
For the learner. Two buttons. It is the fastest question to answer, which makes it good for checking a series of small facts without turning the test into an essay.
Text input
Setting it up. You choose how the answer is judged. Score it against a correct answer you list, award points for keywords found anywhere in the text, or award points for length when the answer falls in a word count band. Keywords and length can be combined, which is how you score a short written answer without reading every one by hand.
For the learner. A text field, single line or multi-line. They write in their own words rather than picking from what you thought of.
Numeric answer
Setting it up. Three scoring modes. Exact wants one value. Range accepts anything between a minimum and a maximum. Tolerance accepts a target value plus or minus an amount you set. You can also fix the number of decimals, allow negatives, and add a prefix or suffix such as a currency symbol or a unit.
For the learner. A number field with the unit shown, so there is no guessing whether you wanted euros or cents.
Fill in the blanks
Setting it up. Write a sentence and mark the gaps. Each blank gets its own accepted answers and its own points.
Two modes. Type in has the learner type the missing word. Drag from word bank gives them a pool of words to drag into place, and the pool can contain distractors that fit nowhere.
Matching is as forgiving as you make it: exact, contains, or a regular expression, with switches for case sensitivity, punctuation, accents, whitespace, and allow minor typos within an edit distance you choose. That last one is what stops a correct answer failing on a slipped finger.
For the learner. A sentence with gaps to fill or drop words into.
Matching pairs
Setting it up. A list of prompts, a list of answers, and which answer belongs to which prompt. Points are per pair, and you can subtract points for each wrong pairing.
For the learner. Two columns to connect. Good for terminology, for tools and their uses, for symbols and their meanings.
Ordering
Setting it up. Enter the items in the correct order; the learner receives them shuffled. Points are awarded per item that ends up in exactly the right position, and a wrong-position penalty can be set.
For the learner. A list to drag into sequence. This is the question type for a procedure, where knowing the steps matters less than knowing what comes first.
Sort into buckets
Setting it up. Define the buckets, add the items, and set which bucket each item belongs in. Points per correct placement, with an optional penalty for wrong ones. Both the items and the buckets can be shuffled.
For the learner. A tray of items to drag into categories. Reach for it when the skill is classification: safe or unsafe, our responsibility or theirs, report it or handle it.
Hotspot
Setting it up. Pick an image and click on it to place spots, dragging to move them and resizing to cover the right area.
Two modes. Click on spots asks the learner to find the places themselves, and you can hide the outlines so they really have to look. Drag labels onto spots gives them named labels to place on the right parts.
Points are per spot or per label, with an optional penalty for wrong answers, and you can show the learner how many spots they have found so far.
For the learner. A picture to interact with. It is the only question type that tests whether someone can find something in the real world rather than describe it.
Tip
Points and passing
Every question carries points that you set. The test has a passing score, the minimum total needed, shown against the total available. Reaching it passes, and a test lesson only counts as completed once it is passed.
Partial credit
Questions with several parts, fill in the blanks, matching pairs, ordering, sorting and hotspot, support a partial credit threshold: reach a number of correct parts and a bonus is awarded, regardless of which ones were right.
This is worth using. On a question with six pairs, an all-or-nothing score treats someone who got five right the same as someone who guessed, which tells you nothing and feels unfair to the learner.
Penalties
Most of the same question types can subtract points for wrong placements. Use them where guessing is easy and the stakes are real, and leave them off where a wrong drag is more likely to be a slip than a lack of knowledge.
Shuffling
Options, prompts, answers, items, buckets, word banks and labels can all be randomised per attempt. If you allow retries, shuffling is what stops the second attempt from being a memory exercise. It costs nothing to switch on.
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