Formatting Guidelines
for Respondus 4.0 Exam Converter
The Standard Format for Importing
Respondus will import multiple choice, true or false, essay, fill in blank (short answer), and
multiple response questions. (In this documentation the terms “short answer” and “fill in blank”
will be used interchangeably. The reason for this is to use terminology that is similar with other
Respondus documentation and products.)
The plain text, rich-text, or MS Word file must be organized in a “Standard Format” before it can
be imported into Respondus. The Standard Format for multiple choice questions has required
elements and optional elements, each of which is described below. This section is followed by an
explanation of the formatting required for true or false, essay, fill in blank, and multiple response
questions.
Required Elements (Multiple Choice)
Each question must begin with a question number, followed by either a period “.” or a
parentheses “)” and a space.
Example: 3)
Example: 3.
The question wording must follow the question number. (Note: at least one space should be
between the question number and the question wording.)
Example: 3) Who determined the exact speed of light?
Example: 3. Who determined the exact speed of light?
Each answer must begin with a letter (A-Z) followed by a period “.” or a parentheses “)”, a space,
and the answer wording.
Example: 3) Who determined the exact speed of light?
a. Albert Einstein
b. Albert Michelson
c. Thomas Edison
d. Guglielmo Marconi
Optional Elements (Multiple Choice)
A Title can be imported with each question. If a title is not provided for a question, the first 20
characters from the question wording will be used as the question title. Titles must be placed at
the beginning of a question and begin with “Title:” followed by the actual text for the title. If the
title exceeds 20 characters, the remaining characters will be dropped during the import.
Example: Title: Speed of Light
3) Who determined the exact speed of light?
a. Albert Einstein
b. Albert Michelson
c. Thomas Edison
d. Guglielmo Marconi
For questions being imported to an Exam file, correct answers can be indicated in two ways.
First, you may place an asterisk (*) directly in front of the answer choice (do not put a space
between the asterisk and the answer choice).
Example: Title: Speed of Light
3) Who determined the exact speed of light?
a. Albert Einstein
*b) Albert Michelson
c) Thomas Edison
d. Guglielmo Marconi
The second option is to place a list of correct answers at the end of the file. The list must begin
with the word “Answers:” and the answers should start on the following line (no blank lines are
allowed). Note that any text after the answer list will be ignored.
Example: Answers:
1. A
2. C
3. B
If neither method is used to select a correct answer, Respondus will automatically select the letter
“A” as the correct answer. Don’t worry, you will be warned if a question does not have an answer
selected for it prior to completing the import.
General feedback can be imported by placing the tilde “~” symbol in front of the feedback for a
correct answer. The @ symbol can be used to indicate the feedback for incorrect answers. There
must be at least one space to the right of the ~ and @ symbols and the text you want displayed for
the feedback. The feedback must appear before the answer choices.
Example: Title: Speed of Light
3) Who determined the exact speed of light?
~ Yes. Albert Michelson won the Nobel Prize for
Physics for determining the exact speed of light.
@ No. The correct answer is Albert Michelson, who
won the 1907 Nobel Prize for Physics for
determining the exact speed of light.
a. Albert Einstein
*b) Albert Michelson
c) Thomas Edison
d. Guglielmo Marconi
To import feedback for individual answer choices of multiple-choice questions, place the
feedback immediately after the answer choice and begin the line with the @ symbol. There must
be at least one space between the @ symbol and the feedback text.
Example: Title: Speed of Light
3) Who determined the exact speed of light?
a. Albert Einstein
@ No. Albert Michelson determined the exact speed
of light.
*b) Albert Michelson
@ Yes. Albert Michelson won the Nobel Prize for
Physics for determining the exact speed of light.
c) Thomas Edison
@ No, Thomas Edison did not determine the exact
speed of light.
d. Guglielmo Marconi
@ No. Marconi did not discover the exact speed of
light, but he did win the Nobel Prize for Physics
for his work with radio waves.
Point values can be set for each question or for a group of questions. Points are set by adding
“Points:” followed by a space and the point value. The points value is used for the next question
and all following questions until a new point value is set.
!
! Example:! Points: 2.5
3) Who determined the exact speed of light?
....
4) Who determined the exact speed of sound?
Both questions 3 and 4 will be given a value of 2.5 points.
Importing True or False Questions
The process of importing “true or false” questions is similar to that used for importing multiple
choice questions (see above). Both of the following examples are valid ways to format a true or
false question for importing purposes.
Example: 3) Albert Michelson determined the exact speed of
light?
*a) True
b) False
Example: 3) Albert Michelson determined the exact speed of
light?
*a. T
b. F
It’s important to note that the “True” (or “T”) answer choice must be listed prior to the “False”
(or “F”) answer choice in order for Respondus to recognize it as a true or false question type. (If
“False” appears first in the list, the question will be imported as a “multiple choice” question).
To include a “title” or “feedback” with the true or false question, follow the same formatting rules
as multiple choice questions. For instance,
Example: Title: Light speed
3) Albert Michelson determined the exact speed of
light?
@ Correct. Albert Michelson won the Nobel Prize
for Physics for determining the exact speed of
light.
*a. True
@ Yes. Albert Michelson won the Nobel Prize for
Physics for determining the exact speed of light.
b. False
@ The correct answer is True. Albert Michelson
determined the exact speed of light and won the
1907 Nobel Prize for Physics for his efforts.
A second way to designate a correct answer for a true and false question is to place it in a list of
correct answers at the end of the file. The list must begin with the word “Answers:” and must be
positioned at the end of the file. (Note: Any text after the answer list will be ignored.) The correct
answer for a true and false question can be designated in three ways: (1) the complete word
“True” or “False,” (2) the letter “T” or “F,” or (3) the alphabetical letter “A” (for true) or “B” (for
false). For example, the formatting of each of the following answers is acceptable for true and
false questions in which all of the answers are “true”:
Example: Answers:
1. True
2. T
3. A
Importing Essay Questions
The format for importing essay questions is similar to what is described for multiple choice and
true or false questions. The primary difference is that the first line of formatting must begin with
“Type: E”. This is followed by the “Title” (which is optional), the question number, a space, and
the question wording.
Example: Type: E
Title: Michelson-Morely experiment
4) How is the Michelson-Morely experiment related
to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity?
If you are importing an essay question, you can supply an answer two different ways. First, you
may provide an answer immediately after the question wording, beginning the answer with “a.”
or “a)” (without the quotes) and a space followed by the suggested answer wording.
Example: Type: E
Title: Michelson-Morely experiment
4) How is the Michelson-Morely experiment related
to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity?
a) In 1887, Albert Michelson and Edward Morely
carried out experiments to detect the change in
speed of light due to ether wind when the Earth
moved around the sun. The result was negative.
They found the speed of light is always the same
regardless of Earth's motion around the sun.
Scientists were puzzled with this negative
result, and they didn't know how to explain it.
Albert Einstein came up with the answer in his
famous second postulate in theory of relativity:
that the speed of light (in vacuum) is always
constant and absolute, regardless of its source's
motion and observer's movement.
The second way to supply an answer for an essay question is to place it in a list of correct answers
at the end of the file. As described above with multiple choice questions, the list must begin with
the heading “Answers:” and must be positioned at the end of the file. The answer to an essay
question should begin with the corresponding question number, followed by either a period “.” or
a parentheses “)”. This is then followed by a space and then the answer.
Example: Answers:
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. In 1887, Albert Michelson and Edward Morely
carried out experiments to detect the change in
speed of light due to ether wind when the Earth
moved around the sun. The result was negative.
They found the speed of light is always the same
regardless of Earth's motion around the sun.
Scientists were puzzled with this negative
result, and they didn't know how to explain it.
Albert Einstein came up with the answer in his
famous second postulate in theory of relativity:
that the speed of light (in vacuum) is always
constant and absolute, regardless of its source's
motion and observer's movement.
5. B
Importing Fill in the Blank Questions
Fill in the blank questions may be imported by starting the first line of formatting with “Type: F”.
This is followed by the “Title” (which is optional), the question number, a space, and the question
wording.
Example: Type: F
Title: Who invented television?
5. Who is known as the "father of television”?
Respondus allows only one correct answer per question, but it does permit you to enter multiple
forms of that answer.
Example: Type: F
Title: Who invented television?
5. Who is known as the "father of television"?
a. Zworykin
b. Vladimir Zworykin
c. Vladimir Kosma Zworykin
Answers can also be placed at the end of the file, using a format similar to multiple choice
questions. The only difference is that you can enter multiple forms of an answer by repeating the
question number.
Example: Answers:
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. C
5. Zworykin
5. Vladimir Zworykin
5. Vladimir Kosma Zworykin
6. B
Importing Matching Questions
The process of importing a “matching” question is similar to what is described for importing
multiple choice questions, but there are some key differences. The first line of formatting must
begin with “Type: MT”. This is followed by the “title” (which is optional), the question number,
a space, and the question wording.
Each answer (which consists of both parts of a correct match) must begin with a letter (a-z)
followed by a period “.” or a parentheses “)” and a space. The two parts of the match must be
separated with an “=” symbol and there should not be any hard returns or blank lines within either
parts of the answer.
Example: Type: MT
Title: Scientific discoveries
4) Match the correct name to the discovery or
theory.
a. Michelson-Morely = Speed of light
b. Einstein = Theory of Relativity
c. Marconi = radio waves
Spaces before or after the “=” symbol are optional, but it is important that an answer only uses the
= symbol for the purpose of separating the two parts of the match. If you plan to list correct
answers for other questions at the bottom of the document, simply skip the number for all
questions that are of the matching variety.
Importing “Multiple Response” Questions
The logic for importing questions that allow multiple responses (named “Multiple Answers”
questions in Insturcture Canvas) is similar to what is described above for importing multiple
choice questions. (Multiple Response questions are, essentially, multiple choice questions in
which more than one correct response can -- and generally should -- be selected by the student).
The primary difference is that the first line of the formatting must begin with “Type: MR” (as an
alternative, you can use “Type: MA” which stands for “Multiple Answers”). This is followed by
the “Title” (which is optional), the question number, a space, and the question wording. Each
correct answer is designated with an asterisk.
Example: Type: MR
3) Which of the following individuals are
credited with determining the exact speed of
light?
a. Albert Einstein
*b. Albert Michelson
*c. Edward Williams Morley
d. Thomas Edison
To include a “title” or “feedback” with the Multiple Response question, follow the same
formatting rules described elsewhere for multiple choice questions. For instance,
Example: Type: MR
Title: Determining Speed of Light
3) Which of the following individuals are
credited with determining the exact speed of
light?
@ Albert Michelson and Edward Williams Morley
collaborated on a series of experiments that
eventually led to the exact determination of the
speed of light.
a. Albert Einstein
@ No. Albert Michelson and Edward Williams Morley
collaborated on a series of experiments that
eventually led to the exact determination of the
speed of light.
*b) Albert Michelson
@ Yes. Albert Michelson is one of the two persons
credited with determining the exact speed of
light.
*c) Edward Williams Morley
@ Yes. Edward Williams Morley is one of the two
persons credited with determining the exact speed
of light.
(Note: this example illustrates how to include both “General Feedback” and answer-
specific feedback. In most cases, you would include only one type of feedback.)
A second way to designate correct answers for multiple response questions is to place them in a
list of at the end of the file. The list must begin with the word “Answers:” and must be positioned
at the end of the file. If a question has been designated as a Multiple Response type using “Type:
MR”, then correct answers can be listed three different ways: (1) placing a blank space between
the letters representing the correct answers, (2) placing a comma between the letters representing
the correct answers, or (3) placing a comma and a blank space between the letters representing
the correct answers. For example, the formatting of each of the following answers is acceptable
for multiple response questions.
Example: Answers:
1. B D
2. B, D
3. B,D
Important: Once the import file is organized to the specifications described above, it should be
saved to MS Word (.doc and .docx), rich-text (.rtf) or a text (.txt) file. It is then ready to be
imported by Respondus.
Importing Images with Questions
Images embedded in MS Word files will import automatically. However, it is possible to import
images with rich-text or txt files using an alternate method. First, be sure that the images in gif,
jpg, or jpeg format and are contained in a separate folder. Then place the following tag at each
place where an image should appear: [ img: “filename.jpg” ] . The word “filename.jpg” should
be replaced with the actual file name.
Example: 3) The interferometer, shown here [img:
“interferometer.jpg”], was
used by which of the following scientists.
a. Albert Einstein
*b. Albert Michelson
c. Thomas Edison
d. Vladimir Zworykin
To include alternative text for ADA-compliant screen readers, place the desired text in a second
set of quotes immediately following the quotes that contain the file name:
[ img: “interferometer.jpg” “Picture of an interferometer” ].
All images that are being imported must be placed in a single folder. During the import process,
the location of the image folder must be specified in the first step. After the import is complete,
the images will appear inline with the question text.
Importing HTML with Questions
It is possible to import blocks of HTML so that they are treated by Respondus as HTML rather
than standard text. This is accomplished by placing the tag [HTML] immediately before the
block of HTML and another tag [/HTML] immediately after the block of HTML. So, for
example, if you imported the following line of text:
[HTML] <a href="http://www.respondus.com">CLICK HERE</a> [/HTML] to
download Respondus.
it would appear as follows when viewed in Canvas:
CLICK HERE to download Respondus.
Of course, keep in mind that HTML will have variable results if you print the exam from
Respondus rather than using it exclusively for online examinations.
Importing Tab/Comma Delimited Files (CSV)
Questions can be imported from tab/comma delimited files (.csv). This type of importing is best
done by someone who has experience with databases or CSV-structured files.
The CSV file can have a maximum of 34 columns. If all columns are used, they should follow
this order: Type, Title/ID, Points, Question Wording, Correct Answer, Choice 1, Choice 2,
Choice 3, Choice 4, Choice 5, Choice 6, Choice 7, Choice 8, Choice 9, Choice 10, General
Feedback, Correct Feedback, Incorrect Feedback, Feedback 1, Feedback 2, Feedback 3, Feedback
4, Feedback 5, Feedback 6, Feedback 7, Feedback 8, Feedback 9, Feedback 10, Topic, Difficulty
Level, Meta 1, Meta 2, Meta 3, Meta 4.
The first column, “Type” should use the two-letter abbreviation shown below:
MC = Multiple Choice
TF = True or False
MR = Multiple Response (Multiple Answer)
FB = Fill in the Blank
ES = Essay
The following columns must always be present in the .csv file: Type, Title/ID, Points, and
Question Wording, although the Points and Title/ID columns can be empty. If the Type is “ES”
(essay), no further columns are required. If the Type is “MC” (multiple choice), “MR” (Multiple
Response), “FB” (Fill in the Blank), or “TF” (True or False) there must also be a Correct Answer
column (although for FB questions, this column is not used and can be blank). For MC, MR, and
FB questions, “Choice 1” column must also be present.
If the “Points” column is not empty, the value can range from 0-100 and will be rounded to two
decimal places. If no value is provided, Respondus will assign the point value of 1.00.
The formatting requirements for the “Correct Answer” column depend on the question type:
MC - Supports numbers 1-10 or letters A-J (ignoring the case)
TF - Supports numbers (1,2) and letters (A,B), where 1/A= true, 2/B= false. The words
“true” and “false” are also supported. Capitalization is ignored for all answer types.
MR - Supports a list of numbers/letters within the range of 1-10 or A-J. The
numbers/letters must be separated by a comma or space; all must be contained within
quotes. (e.g. "a,c,h,j" or “a c h j”). A trailing separator (e.g. "1,4,") is acceptable.
ES - (This column isn’t used; use the Choice 1 column instead)
FB - (This column isn’t used, use the Choice # columns instead)
The following notes will be helpful in the development of your CSV file:
- At the current time, the Topic, Difficulty, and Meta fields are being ignored and
discarded. We are specifying these fields now so that they will be compatible with a
future version of Respondus that will support them.
- Blank lines between records are ignored.
- Embedded line breaks within quotes are supported.
- Literal column separators (within quotes) are supported.
- Literal quotes (2 quote characters in sequence) are supported.
The following notes are specific to the feedback fields:
- all feedback columns are optional
- general feedback is not supported for essay questions
- correct answer feedback is only supported for the Canvas system
- incorrect answer feedback is only supported for the Canvas system
- choice-specific feedback is only supported for Multiple Choice question types
- choice-specific feedback for more than 2 answer choices is not supported for TF
questions
- choice-specific feedback is not supported for answer choices which do not exist
To import the tab/comma delimited file with Respondus, select the “Import Questions” task from
the Start menu in Respondus. Change the “Type of File” to “Tab/Comma Delimited (CSV)” and
then browse to the file. A window will open and ask you to describe the type of data being
imported (plain text or HTML, the number of header rows to skip, the type of delimiter, etc.). The
Preview allows you to look at the data before the import is complete. If everything looks good,
click OK to close the window.
If the CSV file contains HTML, it is possible to include image links such as <img
src=""filename.jpg"">. (Notice that any single quote in the HTML must be changed to a pair of
quotes in the HTML.) If images are referenced in the CSV file using HTML, then select the
location of the image folder next.
Finally, select from the remaining options that are available from the “Import Questions” task.
Click Finish to complete the import.
