Question Types in the Smart Way LMS Test Builder
In the Smart Way LMS Test Builder, the question type defines how an employee answers, how the system checks the answer
and whether the result is calculated automatically or manually.
For reliable staff testing, choose the question type so it matches the purpose of the check.
If you need automatic result calculation, use these question types: Multiple correct answers, One correct answer, True /
false, Fill-in, Numeric answer, Matching, Sequencing or Hotspot.
If you need to collect an explanation, a video answer, an audio answer, a case file, a document or a self-assessment
without an automatic mark, use Free answer, Video answer, Audio answer, Upload file or Likert scale.
In this guide, "type" means the type of an individual question in a test, not the type of the whole test. A test can
contain questions of different types.
Where do I choose the question type?
1. Go to Test Builder.
2. Open the test you need or create a new one.
3. Add a question with the Add question button.
4. In the question card, click Change question type.
5. Choose the required type from the menu.
6. Fill in the question text, answers or special settings.
7. Click Save.
If users have already taken the test, the LMS platform blocks structural changes: questions or answers cannot be added
or deleted. This prevents existing results and reports from being disrupted. In that test, you can still correct text or
images, but to change the structure you need to create a new test: you can copy the current one and make the required
changes.
Quick Type Table
| Menu type | What it is useful for | How it is marked | | -------------------------- |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | Multiple correct answers | A question with several correct options. | Automatically; a partial mark is possible if
the user selected some of the correct answers and did not select any incorrect answers. | | One correct answer | A
classic question with one correct option. | Automatically. | | Free answer | An open text answer without a file. | Not
marked by the system. Administrators need to assess this answer manually. | | Video answer | An answer as a video
recording. | Not marked by the system. Administrators need to assess this answer manually. | | Audio answer | An answer
as an audio recording. | Not marked by the system. Administrators need to assess this answer manually. | | Upload file |
A one-file answer: a document, spreadsheet, presentation, PDF, media file or another supported format. | Not marked by
the system. Administrators need to assess this answer manually. | | True / false | A quick check of a statement: true or
false. | Automatically, with exactly one correct option. | | Fill-in | A short text answer: a term, word, phrase, code
or name. | Automatically, against a list of accepted answers. | | Matching | Matching left-hand and right-hand items. |
Automatically, on an all-or-nothing basis. | | Sequencing | Placing steps or items in the correct order. |
Automatically, on an all-or-nothing basis. | | Likert scale | A survey, self-assessment, level of agreement or
satisfaction. | Not marked by the system. Administrators need to assess this answer manually. | | Numeric answer | A
number, calculation, quantity or value within a range. | Automatically. | | Hotspot | Selecting one or several areas on
an image. | Automatically, based on the exact set of correct areas. |
Which question types affect the testing result calculation?
The test result calculation includes questions that the LMS platform can check automatically:
- Multiple correct answers;
- One correct answer;
- True / false;
- Fill-in;
- Numeric answer;
- Matching;
- Sequencing;
- Hotspot.
Free answer, Video answer, Audio answer, Upload file and Likert scale are not included in the automatic result
calculation and need to be assessed manually. If a test contains only these unmarked question types, reports may show
the result as -, because the system cannot calculate a result for these question types automatically.
General Rules for All Questions
Questions can contain text and an image. For some answer options, you can also add an image to a specific answer.
Images in a question, answer or sequence item have a 4.99 MB limit. If an image is larger, the system will not upload it
and will show an error.
For questions with answer options, each option should be either text or an image.
After changing the question type, check the settings again. For example, if you changed a question with multiple correct
answers into a question with one correct answer, you need to select the correct option again.
Free answer is a text-only type without file attachment. If you need a video answer, audio answer or file, choose the
separate type: Video answer, Audio answer or Upload file.
For file, video or audio answers, the limit is 500 MB. During file upload, the system pauses the test timer for the
upload period.
How do I choose the right type?
| Scenario | Best choice | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
-------------------------- | | There is exactly one correct option. | One correct answer | | There are several correct
options. | Multiple correct answers | | You need to check a statement quickly. | True / false | | The user needs to
insert the right word, code, term or short phrase into a sentence. | Fill-in | | The answer must be a number or range. |
Numeric answer | | You need to check the relationship between concepts. | Matching | | The order of steps matters. |
Sequencing | | The answer is tied to an image. | Hotspot | | You need an opinion, a level of agreement or a
self-assessment. | Likert scale | | You need a text explanation or manual review without a file. | Free answer | | You
need a camera recording. | Video answer | | You need a voice answer. | Audio answer | | You need a case file, document,
spreadsheet, presentation or another file. | Upload file |
Common Mistakes When Choosing a Type
- Do not use Free answer, Video answer, Audio answer, Upload file or Likert scale if you need the testing result to be
calculated automatically.
- Do not use Fill-in for long answers: the system checks text against a list of accepted spellings.
Menu of Guides for Each Question Type
For convenience, each specific question type is described in a separate guide. To go to the guide you need, click the
relevant menu item.
- Multiple correct answers
- One correct answer
- Free answer
- Video answer
- Audio answer
- Upload file
- True / false
- Fill-in
- Matching
- Sequencing
- Likert scale
- Numeric answer
- Hotspot
