Assessments

Assessment Overview

Assessments are a crucial component of the learning experience in 5Mins. They help gauge learner understanding, provide interactive engagement opportunities, and allow for skills demonstration. As an Administrator or Subject Expert, you can add six different types of assessments to your courses to create comprehensive learning experiences.

🎬 Watch this as a short narrated video

Steps shown in this video

1. Assessments are added while you build a course - open Course Content and use the Add Content side menu
2. Click Assessments to reveal the four types you can add
3. Multiple Choice - four options with exactly one correct answer, for quick knowledge checks
4. Short Text - a written response, for critical thinking and reflection
5. Exercise - learners submit a file you review manually, for practical skills
6. Poll - up to four options and no right answer, for opinions and feedback
7. Pick a type to open its editor - we'll build a multiple choice question
8. Write the question
9. Fill in the options - Add option gives you more
10. The radio marks which option is right - it's flagged Correct
11. An optional explanation shows after learners answer, turning the question into a teaching moment
12. Save adds the assessment to your course outline - repeat for as many as you need, then Create Course when the course is ready

Types of Assessments

1. Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions test knowledge through a structured format with one correct answer.

Key features:

• Between 2 and 4 answer options per question (2 are required, 4 is the maximum)
• Exactly one option must be marked correct
• Best used for:
• Testing factual knowledge
• Checking concept understanding
• Quick knowledge checks

How to create:

1. Select "Multiple Choice" when adding an assessment
2. Enter your question
3. Add your answer options - at least 2, up to 4
4. Mark the correct answer
5. Set explanation (optional)
6. Save the question to your course

2. Short Text-Based Questions

Short text-based questions require learners to compose written responses, allowing for more nuanced evaluation.

Key features:

• Open-ended written responses
• You write the question prompt only - there is no response length setting to configure

Best used for:

• Evaluating deeper understanding
• Assessing critical thinking
• Testing application of concepts
• Capturing personal reflections

How to create:

1. Select "Short Text" when adding an assessment
2. Enter your question prompt
3. Save the question to your course

3. Poll

Polls collect opinions or feedback without right or wrong answers, useful for gathering learner perspectives.

Key features:

• Up to 5 selectable options
• Single-selection format
• No correct answer designation

Best used for:

• Gathering learner feedback
• Conducting pre/post knowledge self-assessments
• Collecting opinions on course content
• Understanding learner preferences

How to create:

1. Select "Poll" when adding an assessment
2. Enter your poll question
3. Add up to 5 response options
4. Save the poll to your course

4. Exercise

Exercises allow learners to demonstrate skills through file submissions, showcasing practical application.

Key features:

• Learners can upload video, audio, image, Excel, and PDF files - these formats are supported as standard and are not set per exercise
• Submission instructions go in the question prompt
• Manual review - you view each learner's submission from the Assessments tab on the course page

Best used for:

• Practical skill demonstration
• Project-based assessments
• Portfolio development
• Applied learning evaluation

How to create:

1. Select "Exercise" when adding an assessment
2. Enter the exercise instructions as the question prompt
3. Save the exercise to your course

5. Categorise

Categorise questions ask learners to sort items into the right category.

Key features:

• Two categories per question, each with at least one item
• Category names up to 100 characters, items up to 400 characters
• Learners see all the items together, shuffled
• Each category name and each item must be unique

Best used for:

• Checking learners can tell two groups apart (for example, safe and unsafe practices)
• Reinforcing classification rules

How to create:

1. Select "Categorise" when adding an assessment
2. Enter your question
3. Name each of the two categories
4. Add the items that belong in each category - use Add Item for more
5. Optionally, click Preview to try the question as a learner would
6. Save the question to your course

6. Match the Pairs

Match the Pairs questions ask learners to pair each term with its match.

Key features:

• At least 3 pairs per question
• Each term and match up to 400 characters
• Learners see the matches shuffled
• Each term and each match must be unique, so every term has one clear match

Best used for:

• Terms and definitions
• Linking concepts to examples

How to create:

1. Select "Match the Pairs" when adding an assessment
2. Enter your question
3. Fill in the term and its match on each row - each row is one correct pair
4. Use Add Pair for more pairs
5. Optionally, click Preview to try the question as a learner would
6. Save the question to your course

Scoring and re-takes

Assessment types behave differently when it comes to scores and attempts:

Re-attempts are controlled by Allow re-attempts for quizzes and assessments, which appears under Enable Pass Score in Course settings. Only the latest attempt counts. Poll responses show as "Submitted" rather than as a score. See "Quizzes Re-take" for the full detail.

Best Practices for Assessment Creation

1. Align with learning objectives: Ensure assessments measure what learners should know or be able to do
2. Vary assessment types: Use different formats to accommodate various learning styles and abilities
3. Provide clear instructions: Ensure learners understand what's expected
4. Consider difficulty progression: Start with simpler assessments before advancing to more complex ones
5. Use meaningful feedback: Give constructive responses to help learners improve

Assessment Analytics

All assessment types generate data you can review on the Assessments tab of the course page. The table lists each assessment with its Title, Type, Responses, and Correct %.

1. Open the course and go to the Assessments tab
2. Click View Answers next to an assessment to see each learner's response
3. Click Download responses to export the responses as a CSV file

Use this information to:

• Identify knowledge gaps
• Determine course effectiveness
• Adjust content based on learner performance
• Track individual and group progress

Need Additional Help?

If you have questions about creating or managing assessments in 5Mins, please contact our support team at support@5mins.ai or use the help chat feature within the platform.