Formatting Rules and Tips

Refer to the guidelines shown below to help you format questions that can be imported directly into ExamView. Refer to the sample question bank or access the Sample Bank.pdf file in the ExamView folder for a more detailed example.

Guidelines

Organize the RTF files before you begin importing questions.

Each RTF file should contain all of the questions, narratives, and matching groups that you want included in a single question bank. You are limited to 250 questions per question bank.

Importance of Unformatted RTF

The ExamView Import Utility requires an unformatted RTF. Because the RTF should not contain any automatic formatting, it is recommended that you turn off the autoformat options in Microsoft Word. Specifically, turn off all instances of the following auto correct options:

• automatic numbered lists and lettered lists
• fractions (for example, 1/2) with fraction character
• replace text as you type
• format beginning of list item like the one before

Include Hard Returns

Ensure that your RTF includes a paragraph mark at the end of the question bank title, each question group header, tag, question -- any content that should be on a line by itself.

In the RTF file, click Show/Hide ¶, to reveal the paragraph codes. Then carefully review the entire document to ensure that a paragraph mark appears where relevant.

Use ANS: to identify the answer.

The default answer tag is ANS: (including the colon). It is very important to use this tag exactly as shown for each question.

Group all question types together.

Make sure that all of the questions of a given question type (True/False, Multiple Choice, Short Answer, etc.) are grouped together in the same section. Each section should have, as a header, the name of the question type on a line by itself. If your question types do not match the default question types in name, you can make changes in the ExamView Import Wizard.

Do not include instructions for the question types.

For all objective question types (i.e., Multiple Choice, Multiple Response, Yes/No, and True/False), default instructions are included. As such, these question types do not require instruction lines. If you want custom directions, you can insert them as Narratives.

Be sure to include a question bank title.

You must include a title on the first line of a question bank document. This title can be mixed case (upper and lower case) or upper case. You are limited to 179 characters for the question bank name. If the number of characters on the first line of your RTF file is more than 179, the name will be cut off.

If you have text on the second line of your RTF file that is not a question type header, it will be used as the bank subtitle. You are limited to 179 characters for the subtitle, as well.

Subtitles are not displayed while you are creating a test. Only the data in the Title field is displayed.

Number questions consecutively or by group.

Questions must be numbered consecutively either throughout the question bank (TF 1-15, MC 16-30, SA 31-50), or within a section (TF 1-15, MC 1-15, SA 1-20). Question numbers must be the first visible characters on a line, must not be in a table, and must be followed by some type of punctuation or white space (space or tab).

ExamView supports additional question tags.

You can include additional information such as difficulty code, objective, and topic for each question.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: 231-235 STA: OH: 4.1.1

You can link figures and tables to more than one question.

Narratives--tables, figures, pictures, or text linked to one or more questions--are identified using NARRBEGIN: followed by the name of the narrative (again, limited to 25 characters). Everything following the narrative name up until the utility encounters NARREND will be included in the narrative. NARREND must be placed at the end of the narrative and before the next question. All related consecutive questions must have a "NAR: narrative name tag." See the Sample Bank.pdf for an example.

Matching questions require special formatting.

Matching questions need to be separated into matching groups. A matching group consists of one or more instruction lines, a group of matching choices (a. choice 1, b. choice 2, etc.), between one and 26 questions attached to the choices, and the same number of answers and question information. Unlike question in other types, the questions in a matching group fall one right after the other (without answers or question information). See the Sample Bank.pdf for an example.

You can provide feedback for correct and incorrect answers.

To add feedback to your question, a feedback table must be included in the rationale. The first row/second column of the feedback table must contain the word Feedback.