Do you want to assess whether your users have sufficient knowledge? The best way to do this is through an exam.

Within the online academy, there are two types of exams:

In this article, we explain how the latter works and what you can do with it: the exam.

What is an exam?

An exam allows you to present questions to users. This way, you can assess their level of knowledge and/or competence. You can optionally alternate these questions with other learning formats that are not assessed.

How do I create an exam?

Go to "Content" via the menu on the left.
Click "Add".
Select the learning activity "Exam" and then choose "Exam" again.
Add the general information:
- Title: Give the learning activity a title so you can easily find it in the course overview.
- Author: By default, the name of the academy is used as the author.
- Study time: Here you can provide an estimate of the study time.
- Themes: Add at least one theme.
- Description: Here you can add additional information about the learning activity, such as its main objective.
- Skills: You can add up to five skills developed through this learning activity. This is optional.
Click "Create new learning activity".

How do I add a test component?

Within an exam, you can add a test component.

Once you have created an exam, click "Edit exam" in the top right corner.
Click "Add component".
Click the tile you just added.
Click "Add test". Here, you can choose between a regular test and a test matrix:
- Regular test: In this format, you manually add questions to the test. Further down in this article, you’ll find more information about the different question types you can use. You can also search for existing questions in the Warehouse by typing part of the question into the bar labelled “Search and reuse existing content”. The difference between the various question categories is also explained later on.
- Test matrix: The test is automatically generated based on learning objectives. To do this, add a cluster. Within the cluster, you can define a learning objective and specify a number. By then clicking "Synchronise", the set number of questions in the Warehouse that match the specified learning objectives will automatically be linked to the test matrix. The questions that can appear in the test matrix are then shown in the Questions tab.

Adding a paragraph

You can also add a paragraph to an exam, just like in an e-learning. Such a paragraph can contain various types of learning formats. For example, you can use a paragraph to provide an introduction to the test or to share a summary of the topic the test covers.

Test settings

In the test settings, you can configure how an exam functions for the user. You can set various options for each individual exam, such as the possibility of retakes or a time limit.

The test settings can be found as follows:

Open the relevant exam and click "Edit exam" in the top right corner
Navigate to the section that contains the test component you want to edit
Hover your mouse over the test component and click the pencil icon that appears.
Click "Test settings" at the top.

All test settings are explained below.

Use all questions in the test

You can choose whether all questions should appear in the test or just a selection. If you disable the toggle, you can specify how many questions should be included. That number of questions will then be automatically selected for the user to answer.

Randomise questions

Here, you can choose whether the test should follow a random or fixed order. If you enable randomization, each user will see the questions in a different order. If you disable the toggle, all users will receive the questions in the same sequence.

Direct feedback

When this option is enabled, users will immediately see whether their answer was correct or incorrect after submitting the question.

Don't show result after completing the test

When this option is enabled, users will not see which answers they got right or wrong after completing the test. They also won’t see the percentage score with which they passed.

If you disable the toggle, users will see which answers were correct or incorrect after finishing the test, as well as their final score percentage.

Resits

Enabling this toggle allows users to retake the exam. The number of attempts you enter does not include the user's first attempt. For example, if you enter 1 attempt, the user can take the exam once and then has one retry.

You can also choose to allow unlimited attempts. In that case, the user can take the exam as many times as they like.

Time limit

When this toggle is enabled, you can set a time limit for how long the user has to complete the exam.

If you disable the toggle, the user can take as much time as needed to finish the exam.

Passed from

Here, you can enter the percentage required for a user to pass the exam.

Weighting of competence questions

Here, you can define how heavily the answers to competence questions should count toward the final result of the exam.

Competence questions are designed to assess the user's skills.

You can also adjust the question category for questions that are already used in other learning activities. This can be done in the Warehouse.

Weighting of knowledge questions

Here, you can define how heavily the answers to knowledge questions should count toward the final result of the exam.

Knowledge questions are designed to assess the user's knowledge.