Formatting Online Exams

How to format your online exams

The Learning Technology Support Team can create your online formal exams in Canvas for you. Follow these formatting guidelines to help us process your exams efficiently.

Please place all questions in consecutive numerical order beginning with 1.

Note: Do not restart the numbering order at any point within the question document i.e Do not restart numbering for a new question bank or change of question type.

Multiple Choice Questions

Begin Multiple Choice questions with a number, followed by either a full stop or parenthesis. i.e., 1. or 1)

• There should be one space between the 1. and the start of the question text.

List answers on a new line

Label each answer with a, b, c, d, etc. Follow with a full stop or a parenthesis i.e., a. or a).

• The letter can be capital or not capital
• There should be one space between the a. and the start of the answer question

Indicating correct answers

Option 1: Place an asterisk (*) directly in front of the answer choice (before the letter).

Example

1. Question text here

a. Answer 1

*b. Answer 2

c. Answer 3

d. Answer 4

Option 2: Place a list of correct answers at the end of the file. Begin the list with the word “Answers:”, with the answers starting on the following line.

Example

Answers:

1. a

2. c

3. b

Short Answer/Essay Questions

Begin Short Answer questions with Type: E.

Begin the question text with a number, on a new line, followed by either a full stop or parenthesis i.e., 1. or 1)

Example

Type: E

2. Question text here

If the essay question includes multiple parts, define each part with a letter enclosed within two parentheses, i.e., (a), to ensure it is not confused with a possible answer.

Example

Type: E

3. Question text here.

(a) Question 1

(b) Question 2

Question Banks

At the beginning of the document please provide a brief explanation of the bank structure, including how many questions to select from the bank, and how many points to allocate to each selected question. Please provide a highlighted note indicating the start of each bank.

Reminder: Do not restart the numbering order for each new bank, continue from the previous question.

Example

Bank 1

4. Question text here

a. Answer 1

*b. Answer 2

c. Answer 3

d. Answer 4

Guidelines are provided for the most commonly used question types in Canvas (Multiple Choice and Short answer/essay). For other question types, please provide a highlighted note to include a brief explanation of the desired question structure.

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