In a short answer question, learners respond to an open-ended question with a word, words, or a short phrase of up to 500 characters. You can create new questions from within an existing Test or Question Bank or directly from the Questions tab. 

Creating a Short Answer Question

1. In the Enter question text box, type in your question.
   

   Use the Rich Text Editor to edit the question text or add an equation.

   If the question requires scrolling, you will see a Back to Top arrow above the Save button.

2. From the Options tab, you can
   • Change the Question Type.
     

     Most details—like answer options and settings—are preserved, but major changes may need additional edits or input.

   • Adjust the Question Settings.
     • Set a Character Limit for Short Answer responses.
       

       The character limit can be a maximum of 500 and cannot be zero.

     • Disable Spell Check so that the browser does not identify misspelled words and learners cannot access the browser spell check feature. Spell Check is enabled by default.
     • Toggle on Allow calculator use to allow learners to use an in-app calculator to answer the question.
   • Choose the Scoring Options.
     • Toggle on Extra Credit to allow students to earn additional points for this question, which will be added to their total exam score. This will be the question's default setting, but it can be adjusted individually for each test.
     • Change the Points value of the question.
   • Link a Narrative or Case Study to your question. When linked, click Preview to open a preview modal for the narrative / case study.
     

     A narrative is a descriptive passage, special instruction, a table, image, or other information that you can link to one or more questions. When taking an online exam or printed test, narratives are presented to the learner along with the questions they are linked to.
     A case study is a set of one or more tabs with descriptive passages, special instructions, tables, images, or other information that you can link to one or more questions. Case Studies are typically used to mimic information as it would be displayed in a patient’s medical chart. When taking an online exam or printed test, case studies are presented to the learner, along with the questions they are linked to.

   • Add an Equation as the correct answer. When added, learners must enter an equation as their answer. 
   • Enter Keywords.
     

     Keywords are used to score student responses. Only one keyword is required by default.

   • Require all keywords.
     

     Requires all keywords to be present in answer to be counted as correct.

   • Choose the Print Settings for the question.
     • Select the Answer Style from the dropdown. Writing is the default, and lines are added under the question for learner responses. Drawing puts a box under the question for the learner to answer with diagrams or equations.
     • Select the Answer Size from the dropdown. Choose how much space is given to the learner for their answer from Extra Small, Small, Medium (default), Large, or Extra Large.
3. From the Metadata tab, you can view or edit metadata tags associated with the question.
4. From the Feedback & Rationale tab, you can enter
   • Instructor Annotations are additional notes that learners will never have access to, regardless of exam settings.
     

     Use the abbreviated Rich Text Editor to format the question text and / or add a file.

   • Rationale refers to the reasoning or justification behind the question's answer. Understanding the rationale behind a question can help clarify its purpose and relevance.
     

     Use the abbreviated Rich Text Editor to format the question text and / or add a file.

   • Correct Feedback is positive reinforcement of the correct answer.
   • Incorrect Feedback can be constructive criticism or additional information that helps clarify why the learner's response is incorrect.
5. From the Additional Information tab, you can reference an article from our Knowledge Base that is relevant to your task. You do not need to switch between the EchoExam interface and the Knowledge Base.
6. Optionally, you can click the Desktop, Tablet Portrait, and Mobile Portrait icons to preview how the question is displayed on different devices.
7. When finished, click Save.