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Tests – Getting Started (Teacher)

Modified on: Wed, 4 Mar, 2026 at 2:23 PM

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

The Test tool allows you to create and deliver digital assessments with a variety of question types. Tests can be automatically scored, manually assessed, or a combination of both. You can control what students see (scores, questions, correct answers and feedback) and when they see it.

Tests created in the Test tool can be shared in the itslearning Library, allowing you to share tests with other teachers across your school or district.

For detailed information on all settings, question types, scoring rules and advanced features, see Tests – Reference (Teacher).

2 Prerequisites

You must have teacher rights (or equivalent editing rights) in the course where you want to create the test.

The Test tool must be enabled for your site by a system administrator. If you do not see the Test option when adding resources, contact your system administrator.

3 Create a New Test

  1. Go to the course where you want to add the test.
  2. Click the green Add button in Course overview, Resources or in a Plan, and select Test. Tests can also be created directly in the Library.
  3. Enter a Title. This is mandatory and appears in the course resources, task list and assessment record. The title is plain text only — keep it short so it displays well on smaller screens and in the mobile app.
  4. Optionally add a Description. This rich text field is shown to students when they open the test and in the Library when shared.
  5. Click Create test.

The new test is set to "Not visible to students" by default, so you can safely add questions and configure settings before making it available.

4 Add Questions

  1. In the test, go to the Questions tab.
  2. Click Add questions and select a question type from the dropdown.
  3. Enter the question text and configure the answer options for the chosen type.
  4. Set the score value for the question.
  5. Click Save to add the question, or Save and new to immediately create another question.

Repeat for each question you want to add. Questions can also be imported in QTI v2.1 format using the Import button.


Managing questions:

Rearrange the question order by dragging the vertical ellipsis (three dots) on the left of each question. This is the default order, but questions can also be presented to students in a random order.

Questions can be deleted via the dropdown next to the question number, or by selecting the checkbox and clicking the delete icon. A question can also be duplicated from the same dropdown.

Questions without text are given a standard title with question type and number. This standard title is not shown to students.

For details on each question type, scoring rules and advanced options, see Tests – Reference (Teacher).

5 Configure Settings

Settings are available in the sidebar on the right. Key settings to consider before publishing your test:

Deadline — set a date and time for when submissions close.

Number of allowed attempts — choose how many times students can take the test. If more than one attempt is allowed, select which attempt counts (best, first or last).

Time limit — optionally set a maximum time per attempt in minutes. Set to 0 for unlimited.

Question navigation — on the Questions tab, use the navigation button to choose between Forward only, Free navigation or Show all questions on one page.

Question order — on the Questions tab, use the order button to choose between Normal or Random order.

Result and feedback — decide when students can see their results:

  • Show result to student — controls when the score and assessment become visible
  • Reveal question list and student's answers — controls whether students can see the questions and their own answers after submission
  • Reveal the correct answers — controls whether students can see which answers are correct

Test security — optionally enable password protection or Test mode browser.

For a complete list of all settings and their behaviour, see Tests – Reference (Teacher).


6 Review Your Test

Before making the test visible to students, review it to check for errors.

  1. Go to the Test tab.
  2. Click Review test.
  3. Take the test as if you were a student.

After reviewing, you see the results, but the attempt is not stored and is not included in any reports. The teacher always sees results in review mode, even if those are set to be hidden for students. This allows you to check the full test experience, including result display and correct/wrong answer marking.


Note: When using "View as student" mode in the course, the test tool may not correctly determine your role and permissions. Use the Review test function instead of taking the test in "View as" mode.

If Test mode browser is enabled, you also have the option to review using Test mode browser.

7 Make the Test Visible to Students

  1. In the sidebar, change the visibility from Not visible to students to Visible to students.

Students can now see the test in the course and begin taking it. You can also use Add scheduled visibility to set a specific date and time for when the test becomes visible.

8 Review Results and Assess

  1. Open the test and go to the Results tab.
  2. The summary section shows key statistics: students not submitted, maximum score, average score, highest and lowest scores.
  3. Click any student row to open a detailed view of their attempt.
  4. For questions requiring manual assessment (marked "Needs assessment"), click Edit scores and enter a score for each question.
  5. Click Send scores to save.
  6. Optionally click Add feedback to enter a short comment on the attempt (maximum 255 characters).

Scores and feedback become visible to students according to your result and feedback settings.

To download results, click Export result data. To analyse the quality of your questions, click Export question analysis (see Tests – Reference (Teacher) for details on the analysis columns).

9 Reuse Questions and Tests

You can reuse existing content when building new tests:

  • Open an existing test and use the available options to copy questions or duplicate the entire test.
  • Adjust question text, scoring or feedback as needed in the new test.
  • Tests shared in the Library can be added to other courses.

10 Troubleshooting

Students cannot see the test

Symptoms: Students report that the test is missing from the course.

Solution:

  1. Check the visibility setting and set it to Visible if needed.
  2. Check the deadline and any scheduled visibility settings.

Students cannot see their results

Symptoms: Students completed the test but do not see scores or feedback.

Solution:

  1. Open the test settings and review the result and feedback options.
  2. Adjust timings if you want students to see information earlier.

For additional troubleshooting, see Tests – Reference (Teacher).

More Help Resources

Have more questions? Please start with asking your school administrator.

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