HisGrace Exam Maker is the authoring tool you use to build a Computer-Based Test (CBT) — from creating the project and writing questions to managing examinees and publishing an encrypted exam module for the client computers. This guide walks through the full process. Follow along with the video above, or use the timestamp chips beside each step to jump straight to that moment.
On this page
1. Creating a Project & Adding Subjects
Create a new project
Open HisGrace Exam Maker, click the File tab, and select New to create a new exam project file. 0:18
Add a subject
Below the main interface, add your first subject (e.g. English). Here you can set the default score per question and choose whether to shuffle questions for each examinee. 0:27
Save your project frequently (File > Save) so you don't lose work if your computer has a problem. 8:10
2. Adding & Formatting Questions
Under the Question tab, click Add Question. The software supports several question formats:
Multiple Choice (single answer)
The standard format where only one option is correct. 0:50 Type your question, provide the options, and click the radio button next to the correct one. 1:12 You can also add instructions or post-exam explanations. 1:38
Multiple Choice (multiple answers)
Examinees can select more than one correct answer. Add options with the plus icon and tick the checkboxes next to every correct choice. 1:54
Partial marking: tick this property to award fractional points (e.g. 0.5) when a student selects some — but not all — correct answers. Left unchecked, any incorrect selection fails the whole question. 2:24
Type-in answer
Requires the examinee to type the exact word or phrase. 2:58
Case sensitive: if checked, an answer is marked wrong when the capitalisation doesn't match exactly. 3:19
3. Passages, Images & Equations
Add a reading passage
Go to the Passage tab and click Add New Passage. 3:53 Once created, you can link specific questions to that passage from a dropdown while editing the question. 4:15
Add images
Click the editor button next to the question box (or next to an answer option) and choose Picture to upload an image. 6:41 You can resize the image directly inside the editor. 7:30
Build complex shapes, diagrams, or mathematical equations in Microsoft Word, copy them (Ctrl+C), and paste them straight into the Exam Maker editor (Ctrl+V). 8:53
4. Reviewing Questions & Statistics
Preview the exam
Click the Review tab and select Preview to see the exam exactly as the examinee will. Subjects appear as tabs at the top and question numbers are aligned on the left. 11:04
Check the statistics
Use the statistics panel to confirm every question is valid and "good to go" — meaning it has both content and a designated correct answer. 11:35 Click Details to see exactly which questions are fully configured. 11:43
5. Managing Examinees
Add test takers
Go to the examinees section to manually add the details of students taking the exam. 12:06
Import students
To save time, bulk-import examinees from a Microsoft Excel file or from the HisGrace School Results Manager application. 12:21
Assign subjects
Select which examinees take which subjects — for example, "all subjects for all examinees". 12:33
Generate login credentials
Create usernames and passwords from student data — for instance, username from first name and password from admission number. 12:58
6. Publishing the Examination
Set exam parameters
In the publishing section, configure the global exam duration and timing rules. 13:09
Add instructions
Provide the general instructions shown to examinees before the timer begins. 13:24
Select what to deploy
Choose exactly which subjects you are deploying in this batch. 13:36
Publish the exam module
Click Publish as Exam Module to generate the encrypted file. 13:46
The published module is the file you load onto the client computers for students to take the exam.