Creating Questions

The exam-taker selects the answer(s) from a list of possible answers.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

To add image, table, or formula within the question or in an answer choice: Use the buttons in the formatting toolbar at the top of the text box. For help with the WIRIS formula editor, see: WIRIS Equation and Formulae Editor.

• Under Options on the left side of the page, you will find the following options:
  • Weight - Indicate the default point value for the question.
  • Character Limit - Enter a value, and the students will not be able to exceed this number of characters when answering.
  • Enable Question Tools - You can check Graphing Calculator, Scientific Calculator, or Spreadsheet to enable any of these tools for the question.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

The exam-taker supplies the missing word(s) in a passage of text by typing or by selecting an option from a drop-down list.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

The link below helps you to create Drag-and-Drop questions. For example, your question might include a list of possible actions to take when a patient complains of chest pain. The exam-takers would answer the question by dragging statements from the Possible Answers box to the Correct Answers box.

For more information about the Drag-and-Drop Question type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

The link below helps you to create Hot Spot questions. For example, this type of question might ask the exam-taker to identify a country on a map or a bone in an X-ray. You'll add an image and define the area that represents the correct answer to the question.

For more information about the Hot Spot Question type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

A common feature of many assessments is a matching question, in which the exam-takers are presented with two lists of related items and must decide how to pair them up.

The "Procedure" section in the link below will guide you through the process of creating this question type.

For more information about the Matching Question type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

The Matrix/Grid format includes two types of items; single response, and multiple response.

The single response answer options are presented in a table format and each row has a single correct answer.

The multiple response format allows each column in the table to be an independent answer where the user can select one, many, or all the available answers.

For example, a selection of symptoms can be presented and exam takers are expected to identify sets of symptoms for a particular disease. The Matrix item gives the opportunity to test multiple aspects of a clinical situation in a single question.

In ExamSoft, you can use the Matrix question type to create these items.  

Note: These questions are typically used for nursing specific exams.

For more information about the Matrix Question type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

Bowtie items address all six steps of the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model at one time. The exam-taker reads a scenario, recognizes cues, analyzes cues, and generates solutions. Then, the exam-taker completes the bowtie layout to determine the most likely condition that the client in the scenario is experiencing (Generate Hypotheses), the appropriate actions to take (Take Action), and the parameters to monitor (Evaluate Outcomes). 

For more information about the Bowtie Question type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

A patient box (also called a vignette) is a common feature of questions on certain licensure exams. It provides a patient history and might include an image such as a photo or an x-ray. The exam-taker is required to evaluate the patient information to respond to the question.

For more information about the Patient Box Question type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

For more information about the Ordering Question type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

The exam-taker answers the question by selecting either True or False.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

For more information about the Case Study type.

Note: For an overview of the question-creation process and the various options that are available when you create or edit questions, see: Legacy Portal: Basic Steps to Create Questions.

Use the link below to get an overview of the question creation process and the options that you can enable. 

More information about the Steps to Create and Edit Questions.

Quick Guide: Create Questions.

When you are creating or editing a question, you can enable Question Tools.

Tool Descriptions and Exam-Taker Options

• Spreadsheet
• Graphing Calculator
• Scientific Calculator

For more information about Question Tools.

As an alternative to creating questions in ExamSoft, you can import questions from an RTF file. This might be a file that you exported from a Learning Management System or that you created in Word and saved as RTF. Optionally, you can set up this file so that the imported questions will be tagged with categories and saved into folders.

Important: To ensure that the questions are imported successfully, make sure that your RTF file meets the requirements described in the link below.

For more information about how to Prepare an RTF Question File to Import Questions.

ExamSoft includes the WIRIS/Math Type formula editor. Using this editor, you can create formulas and equations for any kind of content: mathematics, physics, and the sciences.

For more information about the Formula Editor.

How to duplicate a question

• Click to open an existing question
• Click on Duplicate [view screenshot]
• Then edit Title, Folder, and Group if necessary, Click Save

When to Duplicate an Item:

• Remediation Exams – to analyze how Exam Takers performed during a make-up session.
• Collaborative Item Creation – EMs can retain their own copy of an item question to compare how
  their Exam Takers performed.
• Making changes to the answer choices – using the same question but changing one or more
  answer choices to analyze Exam Taker performance.

NOTE: It is important to note that when you duplicate an item, the ‘Item ID’ will change. This will be a unique item separate from the original and will begin to gather its own statistics when used in exams. 

Navigate to the Questions page.

1. Select one or more questions from the list.
2. Use the Questions Bulk Edit Options drop-down menu at the bottom of the questions listed to make the necessary changes:
   • To move the selection questions to another folder: In the drop-down menu [view screenshot], select Move to Another Folder. Select the folder where you want to move the selected assessments. Then, select the button again to confirm.
   • To duplicate questions: On the drop-down menu, select Duplicate Items. Select the folder where the new items will be stored. Then, select the Duplicate Items button to confirm.

Technical Item Flaws make it easier to spot the correct answer, even if you don’t know the material. Please look out for these types of questions!

NBME® Item-Writing Guide: Learn how to write questions that more effectively assess your students' knowledge

Item-Writing Workshop Requests

Modified Bloom’s Taxonomy for Evaluating Multiple Choice Questions

How To Write Multiple-Choice Questions Based On The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy