Tips for Running Exams in Moodle

Give students the “right” amount of time.

A concise amount of time will help keep the students focused and reduce the time they available to search for answers online, in their textbook, or consult with a friend.

Have all students write at the same time.

Clearly communicate with your students, well in advance, when the exam will open and close. Ensure that all students are writing at the same time to reduce the likelihood of them being able to share their answers with other students. Another tip is to try to coordinate exams with other sections or with other instructors of the same course (consult with the Office of the Registrar and your Dean beforehand).

Shuffle the questions and choices. 

With the click of a button, Moodle can shuffle the order of your questions for each participant. For multiple choice questions, it is also possible to manually adjust each question so the choices are also shuffled (just make sure one option is not “All of the Above”). Shuffled questions and choices make it harder for students sitting side-by-side or on the phone with each other to share answers.

Use a large question bank.

Moodle has the ability to pick a certain number of questions, randomly, from a question bank. The effect of this is that if you have a large bank relative to the number of questions you require (such as 200 questions for a 100-question exam) each student will have a different exam. Furthermore, if question bank questions are categorized within the bank, a certain number of questions from each category can be selected.

Display only one question per page.

By having Moodle display only one question per page, and with the “right” amount of time available to complete the exam, students will find it very