🏗️1. Setup: Exam
Overview for creating an exam, more detail provided on each area in individual docs
When creating an Exam on Synap the System will take you through
🚦 Checklist before you start
Before you create an exam you'll to have completed the following:
An Exam can only be set to one User group at a time. You can add people into the group after the exam has been set, and they will also be given access to the exam.
pageCreating a QuizpageUser typesWhen you're ready to create an exam head over to the exams page and click the Set exam button
🧾 Details
Give your exam a name and select a user group to set it to. You can also give your exam an option internal short description and image. Once done, save and go onto the next step
🎲 Type
Select the type exam you want, there are some extra steps involved if you pick dynamic so be sure to check out our docs below!
Static = a single source quiz, the exam will contain the exact same questions as the source quiz, all users will get the same set of questions.
Dynamic = one or more source quizzes, create exam rules based on existing tags, all candidates can get a slightly different questions (unless restriction of dynamic variations).
👀 Use the link below to jump to our Dynamic Exam docs
pageDynamic examsOnce you've picked the type, click 'Next', to go to the Source step.
🥫 Source
Search for and select a source quiz from your library for your exam. When you've made your selection hit 'Next' where you'll be shown a summary of that quiz, name and tags. Check this is correct, if its not you can go back a step to swap the quiz.
🚨.Once you've finalised the source step, you cannot go back to change the quiz. The quiz will be cloned and copied to the exam so changes to the source quiz after the finalise step will not be pulled through to the exam. If you do need to make changes to the source quiz after this point you'll need to delete and start the exam creation process again.
Once your exam set up has been finalised you'll be moved onto the next part of the creation process : BUILD, to modify sections or grades that have been pulled from your source quiz.
⚙️ Settings
Select the different settings and configuration you want on your exam.
Exam modes: Pick the primary mode you want candidates to take the eam in, there are 3 options
Timed exam : the exam has a timer, when the timer runs out the exam is ended. Results at the end unless deferred. Set time on the timer below.
Exam: the exam has no timer and candidates won't be kicked out. Results at the end unless deferred
Practice mode: no time, candidates told whether they answered the question correctly after each question, feedback given instantly. Results cannot be deferred
Timer : For timed exams then the time set here is the duration of the exam once a student has started.
Security: Options to stop candidates being able copy questions, and/or paste answers into free text questions.
Soft sections: Choose whether or not candidates can go back to a view questions in a submitted section, when disabled once a section is completed and submitted a candidate cannot go back to view anything in previous sections.
Shuffle questions: Randomise the order of questions in an exam.
Shuffle sections: Randomise the order in which sections appear to a candidate.
🧠 Note: Exams generated from one quiz that contains timed sections (Static) will have its timer inferred from the source quiz. Stating a time that is different from the sum of timed sections will have no impact as it is ignored in the exam config. If you wish to change the exams timer you must do this at the quizzes section.
Calculator: Show or hide Synap's standard on screen calculator, or advanced scientific calculator
Notepad: Show or hide a note pad on screen
Flagging: Flagging lets students flag potential issues with questions during an exam, this can be hidden from students.
Configure
🏅 Grades
Having grades on an exam is optional. In order to use certificates and resits grades will need to be enabled. Exams with grades require at least on pass and one fail grade.
📊 Results
You can customise the results page users see once their results have been released, the main areas are:
Release results - when to release results (exams with free text questions require marking)
Individual metrics - the users individual stats
Cohort metrics - metrics of how the cohort (everyone on the portal)
Tag metrics - breakdown by faceted tags (Facet best practice)
See docs below for more details on exam configuration areas
Share
📩 Communication & emails
Students can access the exam in 2 ways :
Emailed a link
Use their exam page
Either or both can be used, and either or both can be disabled
🚨 If you are running proctored exams, you should disable both access methods to force students to access their exam via your proctoring solution.
Automated Emails: Send out automated exam emails to candidates, this can be set during the set up or you can come back to it later. Exam emails will send as soon as the exam is scheduled. Students will get their exam link however won't be able to start the exam until the exam window is open (see below)
Hidden: Exam will not be shown on the users exam page, links may need to be exported to CSV
Locked: Locked exam attempts cannot be started even after an open window is met, until an admin manually unlocks the attempt / attempts.
When the student exam page is enabled and the exams aren't hidden, students will see their exams grouped by state:
Open - exams they can start now
Upcoming - exams that are scheduled but not open yet
Past - completed / closed exams
🗓 Scheduling
Use the left hand menu to move from Schedule to Users, here you can set the exam open and close window
🚨 Note: Open and close windows are not the duration of the exam this is the window that you're going to let candidates begin the exam. Think of it as the window that someone would be allowed to walk into the exam hall for an in person exam.
Open window : The earliest time that you want someone to start the exam,
Close window: The very last time you want someone to be able to join the exam
We recommend that you give a window of about an hour to account for any technical difficulties and late comers. If a student clicks on their exam link before the exam window then they will be kept on a holding page until their exam opens officially (see below)
You can also set instructions here for students to read before they start the exam
An exam with a 30 minute duration and a 2 hour start window between 12pm and 2pm on the same day means: The very first person to start will finish no later than exactly 12:30pm. And the very last person to start the exam will finish no later than 4:30pm.
Once you're happy with the exam save & schedule it.
Manage
👩🎓 User Table
If you get a screen with 'Exam attempts will appear here.' please refresh the page, if its a large group of users it may take a few minutes to generate the links. When your exam opens, use this page to see who has started and completed the exam
Once the exams have loaded you'll get a table of users and links to their specific exams. Each link is unique to the each student and exam, so if another student gets their hands on the link it won't work for them. From this page you can export the CSV if you are loading the exam links into a proctoring service or emails.
🏛 The Exam Hall
Each students attempt id is unique to them and to the exam. When the student clicks the link they'll be taken to the 'Exam Hall' which will open when the exam begins. From here they can see when the exam opens, when it closes, the time they have to do the exam and how many attempts they are allowed.
👀 View student progress
Once the exam has started you can view each students progress via the Exam User tab
Enrolled (unless automated emails enabled)
Notified (when automated emails enabled, or manually sent an email)
Started (user has started their attempt, but not submitted)
Completed (user has submitted their attempt, or timer ran out)
Here you can see who has started and who has completed the exam. Go to 'Link to exam' to view each users submission. See our progress and marking article for more on different exam status's
Check out or other docs on proctoring if you want to add an extra layer of security to your exam
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