5 ways to write a better quiz

When it comes to developing elearning content, quizzes get the short end of the deal. It's so easy to just write the questions, craft a few answer choices, and then let the trainees take the test. But quizzes should augment a course: engaging trainees and challenging them to show what they know.

Here are 5 simple ways you can improve your quizzes, without investing a lot more time.

  1. Vary the question type. Mix true/false and multiple choice questions with some short answer, fill-in-the-blank and matching questions. By mixing it up a bit you keep trainees engaged and thinking about the questions and answers - which is the point after all.

  2. Give trainees feedback. For each possible answer to a question, craft automatic feedback that is displayed to the trainee when they choose that answer. Sometimes the difference between two answers is subtle; giving the trainee immediate feedback lets you point out the subtle difference between the two answers and boosts retention rates as well.

  3. Link back to the training content. For incorrect answers on quizzes, give trainees a hook back to the content. If you are giving trainees feedback and providing a link back to the content, you can point out what they should review so they have a better understanding of the topic.

  4. Use question banks. If trainees take your course more than once, use question banks to increase the longevity of your content. Create banks of questions about specific topics in your course. Then allow your LMS to setup a randomized quiz at the end of the course based on your selections: 3 questions from Safety Procedures (QB #1), 5 questions from Reporting Violations (QB #2), 4 questions from Safety Equipment (QB #3), for example. Because you're using question banks, no two quizzes are exactly the same - so when a trainee re-takes the course, the quiz is a bit different.

  5. Review quiz results. Periodically check the quiz question/answer distribution to make sure that your questions and answers are clear. If you see that trainees often select the same wrong answer, a review of the wording of the question is in order. Is there something about the question that isn't clear, causing trainees to select the wrong answer? Or do you need to adjust the answer to make its meaning more clear?

You spend a lot of time designing your elearning courses. The five tips above are some ways to help you (and your trainees) get the most from your quizzes.

This list isn’t exhaustive. What would you add?