Creating Quizzes and Tests

Blackboard provides you with the ability to deploy exams in a digital environment, as well as autograde your quizzes and tests. Some of the options you have for question types include: short answer, multiple choice, matching, and even calculations. You also have the ability to add essay questions, which will require manual grading by an instructor.

There are two methods for creating a quiz: You may either create a question pool and then pull questions from the pool to fill out the test, or go straight into creating a test.

To create a question pool, follow these steps:

  1. Log into Blackboard and proceed into your course site
  2. Click the Control Panel link
  3. Click the Pool Manager link
  4. Click the +Pool button
  5. Give your Pool a name, and click the Submit button
  6. From the Add drop-down menu, select the question type you wish to add, and click the Go button
  7. Fill in the question wording as well as the answer, and include any feedback you wish to give to students after answering the question
  8. Click the Submit button
  9. Repeat steps 6-8 until your pool is complete
  10. Click the OK button

To create a quiz or test, follow these steps:

  1. Log into Blackboard and proceed into your course site
  2. Click the Control Panel link
  3. Click the Test Manager link
  4. Click the +Test button
  5. Give your Test a name, and click the Submit button
  6. From the Add drop-down menu, select the question type you wish to add, and click the Go button
    • If you've previously set up a pool, you can select either From a Question Pool or Assessment or Random Block to add a question (or questions) from your pool
    • The From a Question Pool or Assessment option will allow you to search for and select specific types of questions from a pool and give them point values
    • The Random Block option will randomly select a given number of questions from selected types of questions in a pool and give them point values
  7. Fill in the question wording and answer, as well as the point value and any feedback you wish to give to students after answering the question
  8. Click the Submit button
  9. Repeat steps 6-8 until your test is complete
  10. Click the OK button

To add a quiz or test to Assignments, follow these steps:

  1. Log into Blackboard and proceed into your course site
  2. Click the Control Panel link
  3. Click the Assignments link
  4. Click the +Test button
  5. In the Add Test dialog box, select the name of the quiz or test you wish to add
  6. Click the Submit button
  7. Click the OK button
  8. Click the Modify the Test options link
    • In Section 1: Test Information, you will be able to rename or describe your quiz or test, if you wish, as well as have it launch in a new browser window or not
    • In Section 2: Test Availability, you will be able to make the test available (by default it is unavailable so please remember to make it available), set the number of attempts the user may take the test, set a timer for how long they make take to complete the test, and set the dates and times that the test is available for them to take it within
    • In Section 3: Self-assessment Options, you will be able to have this test included in the Gradebook or not
    • In Section 4: Test Feedback, you will be able to select what information is displayed to the students at the end of their test
    • In Section 5: Test Presentation, you will be able to have all of the test questions displayed at once, or one at a time, and if they are randomized or not
    • In Section 6, Click the Submit button
  9. Click the OK button

If you run into any problems creating your exam, please refer to the FAQs listed here: Common Exam Questions

If you would like to learn how to import a pool or test from a formatted Word document, please refer to the tutorial:
Formatting Word Documents for Importing Pools and Test