Practice Tests enable instructors to create comprehensive, long form simulated exams that students can use to assess their knowledge of a particular subject. Similar to Quizzes, Practice Tests are composed of multiple choice or multiple selection questions, but unlike Quizzes, Practice Tests can provide a longer, more robust assessment tool.
They are particularly useful for subjects when students are preparing for a final exam. Examples of these types of exams include the SAT, GMAT, ACT, or the various certification exams used in various professional industries like IT, Architecture, Finance, and Business.
Please note that due to the unique and proprietary nature of many practice tests, they can only be added to paid courses. Instructors can create up to 550 curriculum items for a course (sections, lectures, quizzes, coding exercises, practice tests and assignments).
In addition, instructors can create a new course, composed only of Practice Tests.
How to Add a Practice Test to Your Curriculum
To add a practice test for your course curriculum, follow the steps below:
1. Navigate to the Curriculum page of your course.
2. On the side, hover your cursor over the grey space within a section, where you want the practice test to be placed. Click the + icon that appears and then Practice Test.
3. Enter the practice test’s title, description, how much time students have to complete the exam, and the minimum score students must get in order to pass it. The option to randomize the order of questions and answers in the exam, can also be toggled on here.
Once this information has been entered, click on Add Practice Test to proceed.
The practice test will be added to your curriculum, and you can now begin adding questions to it.
Please note that a maximum of two practice tests can be published in a regular Udemy course. A maximum of 6 practice test lectures, however, can be added to practice test-only courses (see below for more information).
How to Add Questions to a Practice Test
Once you have added the practice test to your curriculum, you can add questions to it, by using either the Add Single Question or Batch Question Uploader options.
Please note: each practice test can include up to 250 questions
To begin, click on Questions on the right-hand side of the Practice Test icon. Next, you will be asked to select either the Add Single Question or Batch Question Uploader option.
Using the Add Single Question Option
Questions can be created and added to a practice test, one-by-one, by using the Add Single Question option.
After you click Add Single Question, you will be prompted to create either a Multiple Choice or Multiple Selection question. The questions in a multiple choice format have only one correct answer. In a multiple selection question, however, more than one correct answer can be selected.
Once you’ve selected the type of question you wish to create, follow these steps to complete it:
- Enter the question
- Create possible answers. You can write up to 15.
- Select the correct answer(s) by clicking on the circle to the left
- Enter an explanation as to why that answer is the correct one. If you’re creating a Multiple Selection question, then outline why each answer is correct
- Add a Knowledge Area (optional). If your practice test contains groups of questions that focus on certain sub-topics, you can create Knowledge Areas and add questions into them. After students complete the Practice Test, they will see their overall score, as well as their score in each Knowledge Area.
- Click Save
After you’ve saved the question, you can add the next questions in the test by repeating the steps outlined above.
Using the Batch Question Uploader
The Bulk Question Uploader allows you to upload an existing set of questions into a Udemy Practice Test. To use the uploader, first download Udemy's Practice Test Question Template, and format your questions according to the document. A link to download the template will appear after you click on the Bulk Question Uploader option.
You can also access the template by clicking here. The template can be used for either Multiple Choice or Multiple Selection questions.
Please note: when entering your questions and answers into the document, be sure to use the exact same format that's on the template, in order to avoid uploading errors.
- Your completed document must retain the same number of columns on the template (even if they're not used)
- The formatting for the column titles cannot differ from the formatting used in the template
- The Question Type column must include the question type exactly as they're listed on the template. For example: multiple-choice must be written in the cell in this format with the hyphen and casing.
Once you’ve completed the template, return to the Bulk Question Uploader option in the Practice Test, and click on Upload CSV File.
Previewing the Test
Once you’ve added questions to the Practice Test, you can see how the exam will appear to students, by clicking on Preview
Publishing the Practice Test
Once the practice test is created and the questions have been added, you can make it live in the course by clicking on Publish Practice Test.
Unpublishing a Practice Test
If you need to unpublish a practice test, you can do so by navigating to the course curriculum, and clicking the unpublish icon on the right hand side.
Please note: once a practice test has been published for a course it cannot be deleted. This is to ensure that students will always be able to access their practice test results. You can, however, unpublish the practice test, which will prevent new students who enroll in your course from taking it.
Publish a Practice Test-Only Course
If you wish to create a course that only contains practice tests, follow these steps:
- Move your cursor to the Instructor dropdown menu at the top right hand of the page
- Click on Create a Course
- Select the Practice Test option that appears
- Follow the steps outlined above to create your practice test(s) and publish your course
Please note: practice test-only courses must have a minimum of two practice tests in order to be published to the marketplace. This is to ensure that practice test-only courses are differentiated from other courses in the marketplace. A maximum of 6 practice test lectures can be added to practice test-only courses. Practice test-only courses do not offer a certificate of completion.
Practice Test FAQ
Do students have to finish the exam once they’ve started it? Or can they pause it and return to the practice test later?
If a student needs to leave during the practice test, or they decide they wish to work on something else and they exit the exam, the timer will automatically pause. When they’re ready to return to the practice test, the exam will resume where the student left off.
Can students review their answers and see their final score?
Yes. Students can review all the answers they’ve submitted by clicking on “Review Questions” after they’ve completed the exam. Their final score will also be posted after they complete the test.
Can students take the practice test more than once?
Yes. Just like our quiz feature, students can go back and retake the practice exam as many times as they wish.
Do students have to pass the practice test in order to receive their Certificate of Completion for the course?
No. As long as students complete the practice test, and all of the course’s curriculum items, they will receive a Certificate of Completion, even if they do not pass the exam.
Do practice test-only courses offer a Certificate of Completion?
No. Currently courses that only include practice tests do not offer a Certificate of Completion.
Can students manually mark the practice test as complete?
No. Students must complete each question in the practice test before the system will record the exam as completed.
How many questions can an instructor add to a practice test?
Each practice test can include up to 250 questions.