MicroTest Pro provides the capability of importing word processing documents with minimal special formatting that are saved as Rich Text Format (RTF) files.

Guidelines for Preparing Questions

In general, a good rule to follow when preparing questions for import into MicroTest is to not use unnecessary features of the word processor. Just keep things as simple as possible and do only required formatting such as superscripts and subscripts, bold, and other style information. Attempting to make the word processor file look perfect will not simplify the import process.

Tables should be used to represent tabular information that is a part of a question. Tables are especially appropriate for questions that will be used with WebTest since tables can be easily represented in HTML.

Eliminating extraneous information completely or by using comment tags will also improve the chance of getting a reliable import into MicroTest.

Also note that each question must begin with a number. The format can be either “1. ” or “1) ” but should be constant within a file. The tags or keywords that are used to define question attributes are chosen to be similar to tags used in the RTF export format of a variety of commercially available test generators. Several tags are given alternate forms to make it even easier to import questions from other test generators.

Designating a Chapter for Imported Questions

MicroTest stores questions in groups called chapters following the format of a textbook. Each chapter has a number and a title. These are specified in an RTF import file by a line that begins with “Chapter: ” followed by a MicroTest chapter number. This is up to a 3-digit number optionally followed by a period and up to 5 characters of additional information. Following this, a “Title: ” tag can be included with the chapter title in quotes following the tag.

The first question number to use can be indicated by including a “Number: ” tag followed by the initial question number. When this tag is used questions are assigned numbers beginning with the initial question number specified and incrementing by one for each question. If no Number: tag is included then the question numbers in the import file will be used as the question numbers in the chapter.

Questions can be appended to those currently in a chapter by using the Append tag. If the Append tag is not used then the imported questions will replace like numbered questions in the Question Bank.

NOTE: Until a Chapter specification and a Question Type specification (see the next section) have been seen in the import file MicroTest will not process any questions in the file.

Here are some examples of Chapter specifications.

Chapter: 1
Chapter: 1.TF
Chapter: 1.TF Title: “True/False Questions”
Chapter: 1.TF Append
Chapter: 1.MC Number: 22
If questions for several chapters are included in an RTF file include an appropriate Chapter: specification before each group of questions.
*/
Chapter: 1.MTPro Title: “Example Questions”
/*

Specifying Question Types

MicroTest supports the following question formats: Essay, Short Answer, Fill in Blank, Matching, Identification, True/False, Multiple Choice, and Matching Question. The first five types involve no special formatting and in earlier version of MicroTest were just called Free Format questions.

One important formatting rule for RTF files that MicroTest will import is that a line that contains just the question type must precede each group of questions of a particular type. This should be separated from the following question by at least one blank line.

Multiple choice distracters can be written as “A. B. C.”, “a. b. c.”, “A) B) C)”, or “a) b) c)” but should be consistent throughout a file.

For multiple-choice questions it is also possible to indicate that the distracters are to be scrambled when used in a test. This is specified with the ScrambleMC: tag. Sometimes the final or last few choices should not be scrambled. To specify the number of trailing choices that should not be scrambled follow the ScrambleMC: tag with that number.

When MicroTest Pro begins importing an RTF file no multiple-choice distracters will be scrambled. Once a ScrambleMC: tag appears it will remain in effect until another ScrambleMC: tag appears. To turn off multiple –choice scrambling use the tag “ScranbleMC: 15” this sets the number of choices that should not be scrambled to the maximum number of choices allowed preventing any choices from being scrambled.

The following is an example of the import format for two Multiple Choice and one True/False question. The ScrambleMC: tag is included to scramble all but the last choice of question 1 and all choices of question 2.

Chap: 1 Multiple Choice
ScrambleMC:1

1. The ordered pair (-2, 5) is a solution of which equation?

A. y = 3x + 11
B. y = 5x + 11
C. y = 1x + 3
D. None of the above

Answer: A

ScrambleMC: 0

2. What are the coordinates of the x-intercept of the line 2x - 6y = 6?

A. (0, -1)
B. (-1, 0)
C. (0, 3)
D. (3, 0)

Answer: D

True/False

3. Unlike dar al-Islam, Christendom was divided by religious schism during the thirteenth century.

Answer: F

Specifying Answers in the Import File

The example above includes one other element, the inline Answer: tag. This must be separated from the question by at least one blank line and must be at the start of the line. Answers to multiple choice questions can also be specified by placing an asterisk (*) before the choice letter of the correct answer. Spaces or tabs may appear between the * and the choice letter. For example the first question above could be entered as:

1. The ordered pair (-2, 5) is a solution of which equation?
*A. y = 3x + 11
B. y = 5x + 11
C. y = 1x + 3
D. None of the above

Answers can also be specified following a group of questions. This is done as follows:

Answers:
1. A
2. D
3. F

When answers are specified in this way the question numbers must match the corresponding questions in the import file.

Specifying Explanations

In addition to the question body and an answer each question in MicroTest can also include an explanation. An explanation might be a page reference or a more extended passage explaining how the answer to a mathematical question is calculated.

Explanations are specified following a question using the Explanation: tag. A short explanation can be included on the same line with the answer tag.

Answer: D Explanation: “see pages 6-8”

A longer explanation can begin on a line by itself.

EXP: “See pages 23-236. Remember that fractions should be reduced to their lowest common denominator before combining terms.”

Keywords and Difficulties

MicroTest supports up to 52 keywords and 52 difficulty levels that can be associated with each imported question. The keywords and difficulty levels can be arbitrary text up to 47 characters long.

Keywords and Difficulty levels can be defined in an import file and then assigned to questions as they are imported. The tag used to introduce keywords is Keywords:, the tag for difficulties is Difficulties:. The keywords or difficulties can be entered one per line following the line with the tag or as comma separated values beginning on the line with the tag. At least one blank line must follow the last keyword or difficulty level.

Keywords and difficultly levels can also be entered into the MicroTest question bank before importing an RTF file. In any case, keywords and difficulty levels must be defined before they can be used in an import file.

To assign a keyword or difficulty to a question in the RTF file you include a tag following the question. This is illustrated in the example below.

1. The ordered pair (-2, 5) is a solution of which equation?
A. y = 3x + 11
B. y = 5x + 11
C. y = 1x + 3
D. None of the above
Answer: A Keyword: “Simple Equations” Difficulty: “Easy”

MicroTest also uses a letter notation to refer to keywords and difficulties. They are assigned a letter in the order in which they are declared. The first 26 use the lowercase letters a – z and the second 26 the uppercase letters A – Z. You can use these letters to simplify the entry of keywords and difficulties. For example, the specification above could be entered as

Answer: A Keyword: d Difficulty: b

Assuming that the fourth keyword was “Simple Equations” and the second difficulty level was “Easy”.

Graphics

MicroTest supports graphics within questions and figures. The one restriction is that a graphic must be on a line by itself. Text and other graphics can appear before or after a graphic but not on the same line as the graphic. Here is an example of a question that includes a Graphic.

Multiple Choice

4.

The figure above depicts
A. protein synthesis.
B. replication.
C. translation.
D. transcription.

Answer: D

Figures

Several test questions often relate to a common passage or diagram that should be displayed once on an exam before the questions themselves. MicroTest uses a figure to store this type of information.

Up to 52 figures can be created in each chapter. Each figure is assigned a letter and a descriptive title. The letters associated with figures go from a to z and then from A to Z.

A figure can have questions linked to it in either a strong or weak fashion. A figure with strongly linked questions will always appear on a test with all of its linked questions. Weakly linked figures can have any subset of its linked questions appearing on a test. If no Strong or Weak tag is included a figure is considered strongly linked to its questions. Note that the first example below is a strongly linked.

Examples of figure specifications include:

Figure: Table 1-3
Weak Figure: Diagram A

To better support other question bank preparation software an alternate form of the Figure tag is allowed. It uses the keyword “Reference:” instead of “Figure:” and does not include the figure letter or strong/weak link tag. In addition, the “Title:” tag does not precede the figure title and it is not enclosed in quotes. When this form of the Figure tag is used the figure is automatically assigned the next available letter in the chapter. An example of the alternate Figure tag is:

Reference: Figure 4-1

A question is shown as being linked to a figure by including a Link: tag following the question. This can be on a line by itself or on the same line with an Answer: tag. The Link: tag can refer to the figure either by its title or by the corresponding figure letter.

Figure: Year-end records

At December 31, 2003, the accounting records of Harding, Inc. contain the following items:

Fill in Blank

5. If total assets of Harding, Inc., are $577,000, Land is carried in Harding's accounting records at _____________.

Answer: $360,000 Link: Year-end records

Tags, Their Abbreviations and Alternates

The tags used to specify information to MicroTest within an RTF import file can be abbreviated and also include alternate forms to make it easier to support the export format of other test management software. The table below includes all the tags supported by MicroTest Pro and lists their abbreviations and alternates together with a brief description of their use.

The case of tags is not significant although they are easier to recognize when editing a file if they are entered as shown in the table. All upper case when abbreviations are used is also effective.

Tags that end with a colon (“:”) take an argument and must have an appropriate value following them.

In the table underlining indicates the minimum number of characters required. If a tag ends with a colon it must be included even when abbreviated.