If you’re like most e-learning professionals, much of what you do revolves around designing and building quizzes. But what goes into creating an effective quiz? Here's a helpful list of do’s-and-don’ts to keep handy whenever you're designing a quiz.
Do
- Let your learners know up-front how many questions there are in the quiz.
- Include questions that are in line with learning objectives.
- Limit distractors (incorrect choices) to one or two per question.
- Design performance-based quizzes that test application of skills and not simply factual recall.
- Create custom quizzes to engage your learners.
- Write quizzes that teach while they test by providing relevant feedback for incorrect answers.
Don't
- Ask questions about content that was not covered in the course.
- Overuse True/False and Multiple-Choice questions.
- Ask negative questions, e.g., "Which one of these should you not do?".
- Include confusing or implausible distractors.
- Incorporate trick questions.
- Shuffle numbered answers; they should be written in numerical order.
Wrap-Up
There you have it! I hope these do’s and don’ts will be helpful to you the next time you’re creating a quiz. Did I miss any major do’s and don’ts? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
Looking for more helpful resources on quizzing? Be sure to check out these articles:
- Do’s and Don’ts of Writing Effective Multiple Choice Questions
- How to Write Good E-Learning Quiz Questions
- How to Match Question Types with the Skills You’re Testing
- 6 Common Quizzing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
And remember to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (Formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.
