Below, we explain how to create free-text questions in our Q-Exam® software.

A free-text question is a question format in which the test taker must answer a question with their own written response. This question type can be enhanced with images or a PDF document.
To do this, please select the "My Questions" tab in the Q-Exam® platform and click on the "Create New Question" option. Now select "Free-form text".

General Information

The tool for creating your questions is divided into various subcategories. The "General Information" tab is open by default.

AFTER you save a question for the first time in Q-Exam®, it is automatically assigned a unique ID, which allows you to easily locate the question later. Each time you edit the question, it also includes a version number.

When you create a new question, it is initially saved with the status "private draft." It is visible only to you. To assign a question to an exam, you must later change the question status to "public pool." Your question will then also become visible to the group of colleagues defined by your organization.

In the ‘General Information’ tab, you must also specify the number of points the candidate will receive for answering this question correctly.

It is important that you categorize your question correctly so that it can be easily found later and included in an exam. Q-Exam® refers to the categorization of questions as a “Blueprint.” The Blueprint information is specified by your organization.

If you want to create multiple exam questions with the same categorization, you have the option to save the current categorization as a template.

In addition to the categorization, you can add a short description and specify keywords under "Tags." Under "Review History," you can later view the current status of the review process and track the various previous versions of the question in the "History Overview."

Question Group Settings

In the "Question Group Settings" tab, you can combine multiple questions into a single question group. You can learn more about this topic in a separate video. For this example, we'll stick with the "Normal Question".

Question Bank

In the "Question Bank" tab, you can formulate your question. You can edit your text using the toolbar.
You are working with an HTML editor. If the text formatting does not meet your expectations, this icon [< >] will display the source code.
If desired, you can attach images or PDF documents to the question. To do so, please select the "Upload Media" option.

Answers

For open-ended questions, you can leave correction notes in the "Answers" tab.
You can also add keywords that you would expect to see in the candidate's answer.

Metadata

In the "Metadata" section, you can add references, cross-references, or sources related to your question.

Save

Save changes to your question by clicking the "Save" button.
Each time you save, you have the option to save your changes as a "Version" or "Related":

• Click 'Version' to save your changes under the same question ID.
• Click 'Related' to create a copy of the original question with a separate question ID.

When saving, you can also decide whether your question should remain private and in draft mode or whether you want to add it to the public pool. Please note: Only questions with the status "public pool" can be added to an exam later.

Review

Once you have moved a question to the public pool, it goes through a multi-step review process. Depending on your organization’s policies, you may be prompted to select a “Technical Reviewer” in the “Review” tab.
We explain the review process here.