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Multiple Choice Test Creation + LaTeX
Submitted by Nick Hershman on 2008-04-13
New tools, new tools! This one requires a bit of technical
inclination. If you are up and using LaTeX to write worksheets you
should be able to figure it out. Behold the much tool. Much
takes a set of simple questions and creates x variations of the
questions and answers to generate multiple choice tests. The tool
is designed to solve the problem of writing hundreds of unique
tests for giant lecture classes in colleges, but it is useful for
almost any multiple choice testing situation.
I just used it to make the final exam for my 7th graders (see
exam.pdf attached to this article at the bottom of this page).
Much generated all the test versions, I simply had to
write questions and possible answers in a simple format. The output
is nice enough.
When I say simple, I mean simple. Here is the format. Each question is a single file named something like "582e-1" which to me would represent the benchmark 5.8.2, e for easy, and 1 for the first easy 582 question I have written. In the file the contents are layed out as follows:
Question
.
Correct answer
.
Incorrect answer 1
.
Incorrect answer 2
.
And so on. You are allowed up to 6 answers per question I believe.
Another program I'm looking into is multiple choice tool. The
download is a java .jar containing a java class and
more to implement. This tool seems more powerful and perhaps better
documented.
For now, I was quite satisfied by the ability to easily design a multiple choice test by simply writing the questions and doing a tiny bit of formattinig.
Attachments
exam.pdf