Quizzes: Prepare to take a quiz
Your instructor may make use of the Quizzes tool for a number of purposes, which could include a self-test, a pop quiz, weekly quiz, mid-term or final exam to count toward your final grade.
Quizzes can include a wide variety of types of questions, such as multiple-choice, short answer, essay, or even mathematical questions. Your instructor may choose to make your results available to you right away, or at a later date.
Try a sample quiz in the Brightspace sample shell for students.
Be aware that if you are logged into Brightspace, and leave it unattended for a while, and then try to perform an important or deadline-dependent task, such as submitting a quiz, you may encounter an error message, as your login has timed out. Try logging out and then back in to Brightspace before performing any important tasks, to ensure that you have an active connection.
Set up your space for success!
- always use a recommended web browser updated to the most recent version (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox)
- make sure cookies and pop-ups are enabled on your web browser
- when possible, use a hard-wired internet connection instead of wifi
- when possible, use a desktop or laptop computer instead of a mobile device
- when possible, limit the other activities using your internet bandwidth
- in your Brightspace account settings, you may wish to set your Dialog Setting to "dialogs" (instead of "pop-ups").
Before you begin...
- clear your cache and restart your computer
- don't have other programs running on your computer while completing a test
Find the quiz
- In the Content tool, click on the quiz link in a content module
- To access all available quizzes, find the Quiz tool in the course menu, under Assessment > Quizzes.
Click the title of the quiz to enter -- but be sure to make note of some information before you start.
- Quiz availability dates will be listed below the title.
- The quiz due date & time will be listed below the title (if there is one).
- The number of attempts you are allowed will be listed in a column to the right.
Begin the quiz at the beginning of the availability window, whenever possible!
Make note of the availability start and end dates - these control when you will be able to enter the quiz.
Is there a due date and time? If so, make note - your instructor may penalize submissions made after this time.
It's best to begin a quiz right at the beginning of the availability window. If you lose access to the quiz (because your browser crashes, or your internet disconnects), you will still be able to re-enter as long as it hasn't passed the availability end date and time AND as long as your time limit hasn't run out.
If you begin the quiz closer to the end of that availability window, your ability to re-enter will be limited.
How many attempts do you have?
For some quizzes, your instructor will allow you to have multiple attempts. Before you begin, take a look at how many attempts are permitted, and how many you have already completed. A red asterisk denotes an attempt that was started, but not completed.
Quiz instructions
Read the quiz instructions carefully, and when you’re ready to begin, click Start Quiz! Your quiz will display in full screen, with no course menu.
Saving your answers
Brightspace automatically saves your responses shortly after you answer each question, and HTML-enabled questions save when the mouse cursor is clicked outside the answer input area.
Don't click too quickly between pages! Wait until you see that your answer has been "saved" before you click to move to the next page. (See below for details on why this is important)
Submitting your quiz attempt
When you’re done answering all questions, click the Submit Quiz button. Review the subsequent page, then click the second Submit Quiz button to finally submit the quiz.
Look for confirmation that your quiz was successfully submitted.
Wait! Once you've entered an answer to a question, wait until you see that your answer has been "Saved" before trying to go to the next page.
If you will be writing an exam in D2L Brightspace, your instructor may be using Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor, to ensure a fair and secure environment for all students who are writing the exam. This is the online equivalent of a proctored exam room.
Respondus LockDown Browser prevents you from printing, copying, going to another website, or accessing other applications during the test. This is often used in conjunction with Respondus Monitor to record you during the exam.
You will need to install this software on your computer before taking the test - we recommend that you install the software and make sure it is running the latest version before you need to take the test.
Note that you must login to D2L Brightspace and initiate the quiz from a regular web browser. The quiz will open the LockDown Browser application and allow you to complete the quiz there.
- If you get kicked out (connection dropped, computer crashed, etc), you should be able to resume the quiz where you left off, as long as the countdown has not reached zero AND you have not passed the end of the quiz availability.
- Keep in mind that the countdown timer continues to count down from when you first began the quiz, so try to rejoin as quickly as possible.
- If you are able to login to D2L, but unable to resume the test, contact your instructor. Include screenshots of any error messages you encountered. Please note that the Brightspace support teams aren't authorized to give you access to quizzes - only your instructor is permitted to do this.
This may be by design.
It is possible to have quizzes that do not permit you to go backwards to questions or pages in the quiz that you have already reviewed.
There should be a warning in the quiz, in various places, to let you know that you won't be able to move backward. This often appears if you proceed to the next page of questions - it will warn you that you won't be able to return.