This section gives a quick overview of the basic steps for making a paper test. All the procedures and options are described in more detail in other sections of TestGen Help. Use the links in the paragraphs below or the Help table of contents to get more information.
If you followed the typical installation, you can start the TestGen application from the shortcut on your desktop or from the Windows Start menu or from the TestGen folder on your Macintosh hard disk. If you used a Custom install, find the TestGen folder and the TestGen application file to start the program. Enter your password, if used.
If you followed the typical installation, one or more testbanks are listed in the Testbank Library at the left side of the screen. If the Testbank Library is empty, select "Add Testbank to Library" from the File menu and locate and a TestGen testbank file, which usually is named with the abbreviation for a textbook and has a .BOK extension (e.g., psych.BOK, chem.BOK, or alg.BOK).
In the Testbank Library, click the plus (+) sign next to the testbank you want to use to display its chapter titles. Click the plus (+) sign next to the chapter you want to use to display its subsections or questions. If there are subsections, click the plus (+) sign next to a subsection title to display its questions.
The right side of the TestGen program window shows a Startup pane from which you can select the type of test you want. For this demonstration, click the button next to Paper Test. A test editing window will open on the right side of the screen.
There are many ways to transfer questions from a testbank to a test. You can use drag-and-drop to move a question from the testbank to a test, but you may also want to try the methods described below for choosing and transferring questions:
With questions displayed in the Testbank Library, click once on a question that you want to put on your test. Its background changes color to show that it is selected.
Now click the Add Selected Item(s) button at the bottom of the testbank window. A copy of the question appears as the first question on your test.
To select more than one question at a time in the testbank, hold down the [Ctrl] key when you click the mouse to select a question. Continue to hold down the [Ctrl] key to click on and select additional questions.
To make continuous selections, hold down the [Shift] key as you click the first and last question in a series.
With multiple questions selected, click the Add Selected Item(s) button to transfer the questions to the test.
If a testbank question has variable text or numbers, you can transfer multiple copies of the question to a test. First select a question that contains variables (the variant status indicator shows an inverted, black triangle next to the question and the number of variations is greater than 1). Then click the Choose Multiple... button at the bottom of the Testbank Library. Enter a number and click the Add to Test button. Multiple copies of the question you selected are transferred to the test, each with different numbers or text, depending on the assigned variables.
If you select more than one question containing variables and click the Choose Multiple... button, you get multiple copies of all the selected questions when you enter a number and click the Add to Test button.
To have the computer choose questions randomly, select a chapter or section title in the Testbank Library. Then click the Choose Multiple... button. Enter the number of questions you want to transfer and click the Add to Test button. The number of questions you chose are randomly selected from those available for the section you selected.
You can also select more than one title or heading and choose multiple questions. The number you enter after clicking the Choose Multiple... button determines the number of questions that are randomly chosen from each title or heading you have selected.
To add a question of your own to the test, click the Resource Library tab on the left side of the screen. Click the plus (+) sign next to Question Templates to see the list of question types. Select the question type you want to put on the test and drag it onto the test. In the test editing window, click in the question field and type your question, replacing any default text that might appear. For a multiple-choice question, click and type in each of the answer choices. Select the correct answer choice by clicking just to the left of the answer choice letter so the background of the answer choice changes color. Click the checkmark (Mark/Unmark as correct answer) on the Standard toolbar to mark the choice as the correct answer.
Other question types can be added and edited in a similar manner.
Double-click the test heading at the top of the test window to open the Header and Footer Editor where you can modify or add text. When you are done, click the Save button, and then close the Header and Footer Editor. Your new header appears at the top of the test.
There are many other ways to modify your test, and these are explained in the Help sections "Adjusting Test Page Layout," "Working with Questions," and "Editing Test Content." When you are finished with the test, select "Save" from the File menu. Give the test a name and click Save to save the test.
To print the test, select "Print" from the File menu and enter "1" for the number of versions. Be sure Print Answer Key is checked before you click OK. When the print dialog appears, set the print or page range to "All" and click OK.