Use question pools in tests and quizzes

Updated 04 Aug 2023

When you create a test or quiz, you can increase the variability of questions by using question pools.

A question pool is a group of exercises associated with a single question. When students do the question, they are randomly presented with one of the exercises from the pool. If your test or quiz also includes questions with algorithmic values, pooling greatly reduces the chances of two students seeing the same question with the same values.

On step 2 of the assignment wizard, do one of the following:

  1. From the Available Questions list, select the exercises to pool into your first question and select Pool.
    Shows Pool button.
    The questions are automatically pooled and added to the My Selections list.
  2. Repeat this process for each group of exercises that you want to pool into a question.

OR

  1. From the Available Questions list, select and Add all the exercises you want to use on your test to the My Selections list.
  2. In the My Selections list, select the exercises you want to group into a question pool and select Pool.
    NOTE: You can add the same exercise to multiple pools.

After you create question pools, your My Selections list looks like this:

Shows My Selections and indicates pooled questions.

The question pools are separated by a different color band, for easy scanning.

The first exercise in the pool determines the number of points awarded for a pooled question. In the example above, if you assign 3 points to exercise 1.1.9, any question delivered from the Question 2 pool is worth 3 points. However, if exercise 1.1.9 is worth 1 point but you assign 3 points to exercise 1.1.11, the points you assign to exercise 1.1.11 are not used and any exercise delivered from the Question 2 pool is worth only 1 point.

You can change question pools before students start work on the test or quiz.

To remove an exercise from a pool:

  1. In the My Selections list, select the exercises you want to remove from the pool.
  2. Select Unpool. The exercises remain as individual questions on your test.
    Shows Unpool button.

To add exercises to an existing question pool:

  1. Select any exercise in the existing pool.
  2. Select the exercise(s) you want to add to the pool from the Available Exercises list and/or the My Selections list.
  3. Select Pool.

    The existing pool and the individual exercises you selected are joined into a single question pool.

You also can remove or replace pooled questions from an assignment after students have begun working on it.

To eliminate all question pools:

  1. Select Pooling options at the top of the My Selections list.
  2. In the Pooling Options window, select Disable question pooling.

    The exercises in your question pools are converted to individual questions on the test.