Item types

Each item type provides a different way to present questions and response options to a candidate and different methods of collecting response and scoring data. Learn moreLearn more

An item typically includes three components: the stem, two or more distractors (response options), and one or more correct answers. However, some item types do not mark answers as 'correct' or 'incorrect;, such as exhibits, pretest items, surveys, and essays.

The stem is the question posed to the candidate. The distractors are the response options displayed to the candidate (e.g., "true", "false", "all of the above", "none of the above", etc.) The correct answers are the response options configured to score as correct in the exam QTI.
Item types are configured and enabled for each item bank by the item bank manager using templates. Each item type can have multiple templates; for example, a Multiple choice - One correct item could have a template where there are four response options and another template with only three response options.

Note: Only items that the item bank manager has enabled will be available in the Item type list when authoring an item.

Item type	Description
Audio capture	An item with an audio recorder. The candidate is asked to record a spoken response using the recorder. An audio player may be presented with the recorder if the candidate is required to listen to an audio clip before recording a response.
Audio capture with video	An item with a video player and an audio recorder. The candidate is asked to watch the video clip and record a spoken response using the recorder. An audio player may be presented with the recorder if the candidate is also required to listen to an audio clip.
Display	An item that does not ask for a response from the candidate; for display purposes only (e.g., exhibits, welcome screens, section intros, etc.)
Drag and drop	An item with a set of tokens and targets displayed in a grid (or a custom layout). The candidate must drag and drop the correct token or tokens to each target.
Drop down	An item with one or more drop-down menus embedded in a text passage. The candidate must select correct responses from all of the drop-down menus to obtain a correct response, or the item can be configured to award credit for each correct response and no credit for each incorrect response.
Essay	An item that provides a prompt for an essay response. As an item author, you only add the question/stem since the candidate provides the response. However, essay items can also be configured to award points for specific words that are specified by the item author.
External	An item type that requires you to paste or upload a QTI item snippet into the item editor. The item will render upon exam delivery as long as the QTI snippet is complete and contains well-formed XML.
Fill in the blank	An item with one ore more blank text fields embedded in the response area, which are typically formatted as sentences or paragraphs with gaps of missing content. The candidate must type correct responses in all of the blank fields to score the item correctly, or, each individual response field is scored independently (correct responses earn points and incorrect responses do not earn points).
Grid multiple choice - one correct	An item with a set of response options arranged in a grid of rows and columns. Each row has one correct response, and all correct responses must be selected to be scored as correct.
Grid multiple choice - multiple correct	An item with a set of response options arranged in a grid of rows and columns. Each row can have multiple correct responses, but all correct responses in the grid must be selected to be scored as correct.
Hot Spot/Hot Area	An item that require candidates to provide a response by selecting one or more 'hot spots' or 'hot areas' on an image that correspond to information provided in the question/stem.
Inline drag and drop	An item with 'targets' (blank spaces or gaps) embedded in the text. Response options are presented as 'tokens', which are individual boxes containing text that the candidate must drag to the correct targets in the stem. The candidate must either drag and drop the correct tokens on all of the targets to earn a correct score for the item, or the candidate will earn points based on the number of correctly placed tokens.
Multiple choice - one correct	An item with a single set of response options; only one response option is correct.
Multiple choice - one correct with passage	An item with one or more content passages and a single set of response options. Only one response option is marked as correct.
Multiple choice - one correct - multiple response	An item with multiple questions, each with their own set of response options. For each question/stem, only one response option is correct. Depending on the item type configuration, candidates must select the correct response for all questions to earn a point, or they will be awarded a point for each correct response.
Multiple choice - multiple correct	An item with a single set of response options; two or more response options are correct. In some cases, the candidate must select all correct responses. Or, the item can be configured to award credit for only one or more (but not all) correct responses.
Multiple choice - multiple correct with passage	An item with one or more content passages and a single set of response options. Two or more response options are correct. In some cases, the candidate must select all correct responses. Or, the item can be configured to award credit for only one or more (but not all) correct responses.
Ordered list	An item with a list of response option 'tokens' in a 'source well' that must be moved to a 'target well' and arranged in a specific order. The candidate must move all tokens to the target well in the correct order to score the item as correct, or the item can be scored based on the candidate's ordering of adjacent response token pairs (either relative order or absolute order).
Selectable text	An item containing a text passage with selectable words. Each selected word is scored independently (correct selections award a point and incorrect selections remove a point).
Spreadsheet	An item with a spreadsheet editor. The candidate is asked to enter data in the provided rows and columns. Points can be awarded as all-or-nothing (the entire spreadsheet must be correct), or they can be awarded points for each correct response.
Workspace	An item containing two distinct areas shown in a split screen; one area contains the default exhibit content (title and passage) and the other area contains one or more groups of pop-up exhibits and responses. Both Essay and Spreadsheet responses can be used, and each Workspace item can include more than one response.