HisGrace OSCE Maker is the authoring tool you use to build an Objective Structured Clinical Examination — Question Stations (multiple choice / written), Procedure Stations (in-person clinical grading rubrics), candidates, examiners, and finally a published exam module that's loaded into HisGrace OSCE Examiner to run the live exam. This guide walks through every stage from blank project to published module.
On this page
Phase 1: New Project & Question Stations
Start a new project
Launch HisGrace OSCE Maker, then click File > New on the left menu to create a new untitled exam project.
Add your first station
Click the + button under the STATIONS panel on the left. In the Station Properties box at the bottom left, set the Name (e.g. Question Station 1) and make sure Station Type is set to Question. Adjust Time Allowed and Default Score as needed.
Add a question
Click Add Question on the top toolbar, choose your question type (e.g. Multiple Choice — Single Answer), and click OK. Type the question in the main text box, fill in the options below, click the radio button next to the correct answer, then click OK to save it into the station.
Click the trash-can icon next to any option box to delete an unused option.
Save your project early via File > Save As, then use Ctrl+S regularly so you don't lose work if anything crashes.
Phase 2: Procedure Stations
Add a new station
Click the + button under the STATIONS panel again. In Station Properties, set the Name (e.g. Procedure Station 1) and change the Station Type dropdown to Procedure.
Define the procedure task
Click Add Question and type the clinical task or procedure the student must perform.
Set up the grading rubric
Below the question, input or adjust the scoring options for the grading rubric (e.g. 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00), then click OK.
Phase 3: Bulk-Importing Questions (Excel or Word)
Instead of typing questions one by one, you can import them in bulk from Microsoft Excel or Word templates.
1. Export the template
On the Question tab, click Export Questions Template. Choose your preferred format (Excel or Word) and the station type (Question or Procedure), click OK, then save the template to your computer.
2. Fill in the template
Open the saved file and follow the exact formatting in the template — fill in your questions, options, answers, and scores. Save and close the file when finished.
3. Import the file
Back in OSCE Maker, select the target station from the left panel and click Import Questions on the toolbar. Pick the matching format (Excel/Word) and type (Question/Procedure), click OK, locate your filled template and open it. A prompt confirms the successful import.
The import format and station type must match the template you exported — Excel→Excel, Question→Question.
Phase 4: Images & Comprehension Passages
Add an image to a question
Select the question and click Edit Question. Inside the editor window, click the Picture icon, browse to the image on your computer, select it, and click Open. Click OK to save.
Add a reusable comprehension passage
In the main window, click the Passage tab (next to the Questions tab list). Click Add New Passage and type or paste your text.
Then back on the Questions tab, click the small edit (pencil) icon next to a question. In the Question Properties on the left, open the Attach Essay/Passage dropdown and select the passage you just created — it'll automatically appear at the top of that question.
Phase 5: Previewing & Quality Control
On the Review tab at the top menu you have four tools:
- Preview — see how the current station will look to examinees.
- Single Page View — a master scrollable list of every question across every station.
- Statistics — generates a diagnostic report of your module, flagging missing answers, empty questions, or duplicated content.
Run Statistics before publishing — it's the fastest way to catch a station with no correct answer or a question you forgot to fill in.
Phase 6: Adding Examinees (Students)
Add students manually or in bulk
Click the Examinee tab on the top menu. To add a student manually, click Add Examinee, fill in their details, and give them a unique Exam No to avoid conflicts.
To bulk-import, click Export (MS Excel) to download the examinee list template, fill in the names and exam numbers, save, then click Import Examinees, choose Microsoft Excel, and open your filled file.
Assign stations
Click Assign Station. Tick all the Question and Procedure stations the students must take, choose All Candidates, and click Apply.
Generate login details
Click Assign Login Details. Choose an automated format (e.g. Username = First Name, Password = Exam No), select All Candidates, and click Apply.
Phase 7: Adding Examiners (Graders)
Add examiners
Click the Examiner tab on the top menu. Add your examiners manually, or import them with the same Excel template method used for examinees.
Assign stations (Procedure only)
Click Assign Station and tick only the Procedure Stations — examiners do not take the multiple-choice question stations. Apply to all candidates.
Don't assign Question Stations to examiners. They're graders, not test-takers — assigning them the wrong stations breaks the exam workflow.
Generate login details
Click Assign Login Details and generate examiner credentials the same way you did for examinees.
Phase 8: Publishing the Exam Module
Set the global exam parameters
Click the Publish tab on the top menu. Enter the Exam Title, toggle settings like Show Answers after Exam or Shuffle Questions, and type any General Instructions you want students to read before the exam begins.
Choose what to deploy
Under Select Subject to Deploy, tick all the Question and Procedure stations you want included in the final file.
Publish the module
Click the large Publish as Exam Module button at the top left. Choose a save location, name the file, and click Save. A success message confirms the export.
The published file is what you upload to HisGrace OSCE Examiner to run the live exam — see OSCE Examiner: Run an OSCE for the next step.