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Learning Online

A student's guide to be successful.

Taking Tests Online

The purpose of this lesson is to show you how to access and submit tests and quizzes in your course D2L site. A test or quiz that you take online is similar in many ways to a paper-based test you would take in class with paper and pencil. Effective study skills are required; however, there may be some challenges finding your way in the online environment. The most common challenge is not knowing whether your answers were saved, and your quiz was submitted. In this lesson, you can practise taking and submitting quizzes multiple times and also checking your feedback and scores so that you become more comfortable with the technology.

General Tips for Online Tests and Quizzes
Online tests and quizzes are usually open-book, which means that you can organize your course textbooks and notes ahead of time so that they are available for the test. As you learned in a previous lesson, your course syllabus is your first resource for information about the test. The most important information is topic and content (usually by lecture date and chapter numbers), test question format (e.g., multiple choice, etc.), and start time and time limits. 

Timing is important in the online environment because tests and quizzes are automated. They start and end at an exact time with or without you. You need to set aside space, gather your reference materials, and check your internet connection well before the start time. You should also shut down social media and other webpages on your browser to avoid distraction. 

The following two sample quizzes are formatted differently for different purposes. Quiz 1 shows you different formats for questions as well as study tips and feedback features. Quiz 2 has more strict time and review options that some instructors may use. Before taking the quizzes, review the following links to learn more about test taking online.

Quiz 1 - Taking Tests Online: Part 1
You have 30 minutes to answer five questions. Click here to go to the quiz in D2L.

Quiz 2 – Taking Tests Online: Part 2
This quiz demonstrates the challenge of not being allowed to move backwards in your quiz to review previous answers. You have 10 minutes to answer two questions. Click here to go to the quiz in D2L.