Question File Basics

• If you have a copy of the MicroTest test generator program, you can have the program generate a question file for you.
• You can write your own question file using a simple text editor program.

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MicroTest Import Format

Since our school began using Macs, I have used the MicroTest test-generator program (I have MicroTest Version 4.1.2, by David Brown and Manuel Silveira, copyright © 1985 - 1995 by Chariot Software Group.) to develop tests and quizzes for my classes, as well as for the Academic Team. I find it a very easy-to-use and capable program. MicroTest only generates hard-copy tests, however, so I set about creating an applet that would allow students to interactively take pretests, etc. from questions that I had generated using the MicroTest program. This is how the AppletQuiz applet was born.

Therefore, the AppletQuiz applet reads question files in MicroTest Import format. Actually, it will read question files in MicroTest Import format, but it actually uses an expanded version of this format.

First, the good news:

If you have the MicroTest program, you can , with luck, generate a question file from an existing question bank as follows:

1. Open a question bank by selecting "Open Question Bank" from the "File" menu.
2. Select "Create Test" (or "Open Test") in the "File" menu.
3. Select the questions you want just as you would for a hard-copy test. You may select:
   1. True/False Questions
   2. Multiple-Choice Questions
   3. Free-Format Questions that have answers less than 16 characters long (short answer, in other words)
4. Select "Print Test to Disk" from the file menu.
5. Select a folder in which to save your question file. By default, the question file should be in the same folder as the web page that uses it.
6. Type a name for the question file. The default question file name is "question.txt". Whatever you name the file, be sure to save it with extension ".txt"
7. Be sure that "Include Answer Key" is set to "Yes".
8. Under format, select "MicroTest Import Format".
9. Press the "Save" button.

Now, the bad news:

The version of MicroTest that I use does not seem to reliably generate MicroTest Import Format files. In particular, sometimes it fails to print the answers to questions, sometimes it does not correctly identify a question's type, and sometimes it refuses to import a file that it has just generated in its own import format. This is mildly annoying, but not disastrous. Just realize that you will probably have to do some editing in your question file before it will actually work, either in MicroTest or in the AppletQuiz applet.

Also, the MicroTest program will not export images along with the questions that contain images. AppletQuiz will display questions containing images, but you will have to do some editing of the question file to get this to happen.

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copyright © 1998 by Jerry L. Stanbrough - all rights reserved.