Do you need to create multiple versions of your assessments to circulate to a pool of test-takers? Assessment variations and question randomization are both options to help you discourage plagiarism amongst test-takers. In this article, we will explore:
Creating Assessment Variations
When creating a new assessment, you have the option to create multiple variations of the same certified assessment. This allows for multiple variations of the assessment to circulate to your test-taker pool, helping to reduce the chance of plagiarism and answer sharing.
Note: You will need to have the same question type (algorithmic, quiz, etc) in each assessment variation in order to complete the assessment set up.
Create as many variations as you need by clicking the +Variation button.
The assessment variations you create will appear on the left side of the page.
Click ADD A QUESTION SLOT to begin building out your assessment. If you haven't explored our set up guide, this article will show you how to create an assessment by adding questions from the question library. See more on the Question Library here.
Next, you need to go into each variation and add questions into the correct question slots. The platform will automatically filter the question library to display questions comparable to the those in the additional variations.
When you have completed your assessment variations, click CREATE to save the assessment in your Assessments dashboard.
Question Randomization
Within one question slot, you are able to add multiple questions of the same question type. Test-takers will see a different variation of the question which will help to avoid answer sharing amongst the test-taker pool.
1. Click the ADD A QUESTION SLOT button in the QUESTIONS tab of the assessment creation window. The question library will open automatically.
2. To randomize in the questions in the question slot, toggle on Allow randomization. This will allow you to select multiple questions for a single question slot.
3. Add questions to the question slot by clicking the green + (plus) button to the right of the question names. You can find questions by searching by question name or filtering by type, author, label, or favorites.
You will see the number of questions that have been added to the question slot next to the SELECTED QUESTION dropdown.
4. When you have finished selecting questions for the question slot, click the > (right arrow) button in the bottom right corner of the module.
5. Here, you can configure which coding languages you'd like to make available to the test-taker, as well as the score (point value) of the question slot. When you have finished configuring the question slot, click DONE in the bottom right.
6. That's it! Repeat these steps for each question slot in your assessment.
Choosing an Approach
When building an assessment, you can use question randomization, assessment variations, or a combination of both. The best approach depends on whether your questions are interchangeable or need to appear together in a specific structure.
Using Question Randomization
Question slot randomization is ideal when multiple questions can serve the same purpose within an assessment. Use it when:
- Questions within a slot have similar difficulty levels, topics, and formats.
- Any question in the slot can be substituted for another without affecting the assessment experience.
- You want to maximize the number of unique test combinations and reduce the risk of answer sharing or cheating.
Example: If you have 10 interchangeable questions in each of 4 slots, the assessment can generate up to 10,000 unique combinations.
Using Assessment Variations
Variations allow you to create distinct versions of an assessment and control exactly which questions appear together. Use them when:
- Specific questions must always appear as a group.
- Questions build on one another or reference shared context.
- A common set of instructions, information, or scenario applies across multiple questions.
- You want to intentionally design each assessment form with a specific difficulty progression or topic distribution.
Using Both Features
In some cases, you may want the structure of curated assessment forms while still introducing randomness. Use both variations and slot randomization when:
- You want to maintain distinct assessment versions while allowing certain questions to rotate.
- Some sections of the assessment require fixed content, while others can be randomized.
Example: Variation A and Variation B each contain three slots. Slot 2 in each variation contains three interchangeable questions, and one question is randomly selected each time the assessment is generated.
Rule of Thumb
- If the questions are interchangeable, place them in the same slot and use randomization.
- If the grouping of questions matters, use variations.