RTF Import Formatting Guidelines RTF, TXT, MS Word type ExamSoft’s import wizard will allow you to import multiple choice, true-­‐false, essay, fill in the blank, and multiple answer questions. The files will need to be saved as or exported as an .rtf file before import. Question/Item Formatting The system will keep the formatting you have created when importing into the item bank*, however there are some limitations to make sure the questions/items are compatible with SofTest: Supported Fonts: Arial Arial Black Comic Sans MS Courier New Times New Roman Georgia Trebuchet MS Impact Verdana Supported Font Sizes: 8pt, 9pt, 10pt, 11pt, 12pt, 14pt, 16pt, 18pt, 20pt, 22pt, 24pt, 26pt, 28pt, 36pt, 48pt 72pt Formatting the Questions/Items All Question Types INSTRUCTIONS EXAMPLE Question/Item Stems Each item must begin with a, followed by either a period “.” or a parentheses “)”, unless an item type is designated as shown in below examples. Followed by a space and then the item stem text itself DESCRIPTION/TITLE (Optional): A description can be imported with each item. If not provided, the first 20 characters of the item stem will be used as the item description. They must be placed at the beginning of the item stem and begin with “Title:”. Maximum Characters: 255 3) or 3. 3) Which of the following is the main reason the Pilgrims wanted to leave England? Title: Pilgrims Leaving 3) Which of the following is the main reason the Pilgrims wanted to leave England? NOTE: A number followed by a “.” or “)” is not allowed in the description/title name. Multiple Choice INSTRUCTIONS EXAMPLE Question/Item Stems Each item must begin with a number, followed by 3) or 3. either a period “3.” or a parentheses “3)”. No item type is required for multiple-­‐choice questions. Followed by a space and then the item stem text 3) Which of the following is the main reason the itself Pilgrims wanted to leave England? DESCRIPTION/TITLE (Optional): A description can Title: Pilgrims Leaving 3) Which of the following is be imported with each item. If not provided, the the main reason the Pilgrims wanted to leave first 20 characters of the item stem will be used as England? the item description. They must be placed at the beginning of the item stem and begin with “Title:”. Maximum Characters: 255 NOTE: A number followed by a “.” or “)” is not allowed in the description/title name. FOLDER (Optional): This is the folder path and name you want this specific item placed in. This must be placed before everything and begin with “Folder:” All items without this tag will be placed in an folder based on the name of the import file. Folder: History/History 101 Title: Pilgrims Leaving 3) Which of the following is the main reason the Pilgrims wanted to leave England? NOTE: A number followed by a “.” or “)” is not allowed in the folder name. Answers Each answer must begin with a letter (A-­‐I, a-­‐I; only 10 answer choices allowed for importing) followed by a period “.” or a parentheses “)” and a space between. 3) Which of the following is the main reason the Pilgrims wanted to leave England? a. To escape bad treatment because of their religion b) To find good land for their farms or towns C. To trade with Native Americans D) To start a new country CORRECT ANSWERS can be indicated in two ways: You can also list the answers at the end of the Answers: import file beginning with the word “Answers:”. 1. A All text after will be disregarded. 2. C 3. B You may place an asterisk (*) directly in front of Title: Speed of Light 3) Who determined the exact the answer choice, no space between answer and speed of light? the asterisk. *a. To escape bad treatment because of their religion b) To find good land for their farms or towns c) To trade with Native Americans d. To start a new country True/False INSTRUCTIONS EXAMPLE Answers The “True” or “T” answer choice must be listed first, prior to the “False” or “F” answer choice in order for us to recognize it as a true and false question type. No item type is required for true-­‐
false questions. 3) The Pilgrims wanted to leave England to escape bad treatment because of their religion *a) True b) False or 3) The Pilgrims wanted to leave England to escape bad treatment because of their religion *a) T b) F Essay/Short Answer Questions INSTRUCTIONS EXAMPLE Question/Item Stems The logic is similar to Multiple Choice with no answers. The primary difference is that the first line of formatting must begin with “Type: E”, followed by the optional title and the question number and wording. Type: E Title: Proclamation Line 4) Define and explain the purpose of the Proclamation Line of 1763. Fill In The Blank INSTRUCTIONS EXAMPLE Question/Item Stems The first line of formatting must begin with “Type: F”, followed by the optional title and the question number and wording. Type: F Title: WWII President 5. Who was the President during World War II? Answers Within the import function, you can only have one answer to each question, however you can have multiple versions of that answer. CORRECT ANSWERS can be indicated in two ways: You can list your answers similar to multiple Type: F Title: WWII President choice, as “a.”, “b.”, and “c.”. This way the 5. Who was the President during World War II? student can get a correct answer for different a. Teddy Roosevelt versions of the answer. b. Franklin Roosevelt c. Theodore Franklin Roosevelt You can also list the answers at the end of the Answers: import file with your other question types, you 1. A simply repeat the number of the question with a 2. C different answer until all your options are 3. B entered. 4. C 5. Teddy Roosevelt 5. Franklin Roosevelt 5. Theodore Franklin Roosevelt 6. B Multiple Answers INSTRUCTIONS EXAMPLE Question/Item Stems The first line of formatting must begin with “Type: MA”, followed by the optional title and the question number and wording. Type: MA 3) Select two reasons that people from other countries want to come and live in the US today? a. To live in poverty *b. To practice religion freely c. To find war/bombs/violence *d. To escape bad government Answers CORRECT ANSWERS can be indicated in two ways: You can also list the answers at the end of the import file with your other question types, can be done one of three ways: placing a blank space between the letters, placing a comma between the letters, or placing a comma and a blank space between the letters representing the correct Answers: 1. A 2. C 3. B D answers. You may place an asterisk(*) directly in front of the answer choices, no space between answer and the asterisk. Type: MA 3) Select two reasons that people from other countries want to come and live in the US today? a. To live in poverty *b. To practice religion freely c. To find war/bombs/violence *d. To escape bad government Rationale (Optional) Can be indicated in two ways: BY QUESTION/ITEM Use the tilde “~” symbol after the item for the rationale of the question/item. BY SPECIFIC ANSWER Use the “@” answer rationale (if Multiple Choice OR Multiple Answer). There must be at least one space to the right of the @ symbols and the text you want displayed for the feedback. Title: Pilgrims Leaving 3) Which of the following is the main reason the Pilgrims wanted to leave England? ~ Yes. Additional comments. *a. To escape bad treatment because of their religion b) To find good land for their farms or towns c) To trade with Native Americans d. To start a new country Title: Pilgrims Leaving 3) Which of the following is the main reason the Pilgrims wanted to leave England? *a. To escape bad treatment because of their religion @ Yes. Additional comments. b) To find good land for their farms or towns @ No. Additional comments. c) To trade with Native Americans @ No, additional comments. Saving the File Once you have formatted all the items based on the specs provided above, it should be saved to a rich-­‐
text (.rtf) file from Microsoft Word or your word processing software. Your file is now ready for the Importer. References National Assessment of Educational Progress, nces.ed.gov, History Questions Search, 2012 AP Study Notes, History, Practice Multiple Choice Test #1, www.apstudynotes.org, 2012 *Images and tables are not currently supported.