Quizzes are a great way to assess your student’s knowledge and progress.
I’ve been testing out the Thinkific quiz builder and discovered it’s a versatile and valuable tool for the job.
Key Takeaways:
- Add video, audio, or image-based quiz questions
- You can import unlimited quiz questions in XLSX format
- Build curiosity by offering a free quiz as a course preview
Why the Thinkific Quiz Builder Should Not Be Ignored
1. It’s More Diverse Than You Think
At first, the Thinkific quiz builder feels a little basic. However, when you start adding questions, you realize there’s actually a lot you can do with it.
In addition to the usual multiple-choice Q&As, Thinkific offers several formatting options to make your questions stand out.
Additionally, you can choose if your question has one or more than one correct answer. This is ideal when you want students to think more critically about what the responses should be.
To help embed learning even further, you can include text-based feedback, which shows up in response to the answers the participant selects.
2. Use Video, Audio, and Images as Quiz Questions
It’s official: Text-based quizzes are boring!
On a more serious note, text-based multiple-choice questions don’t help the learning process much because it’s super easy to get the answer right based on guesswork.
What would be more effective is having the participant watch a video and listen out for the key points. Then, have them select the right key points to answer the question correctly.
This is much more engaging than reading a question.
Thinkific gives you this capability and more so you can really bring your quiz to life and make it much more fun for the learner.
Here’s what you can do:
- Add a video, audio file, or image as the question and/or as the answer options.
- Upload documents as quiz questions or answers.
- Include a URL for someone to click on as part of the question.
- Create a table to organize info-heavy questions.
3. Import Unlimited Quiz Questions
One task that would be very annoying if you had to do it manually is transferring quiz questions from another platform to Thinkific.
Fortunately, you don’t have to do it manually because Thinkific has an import function.
As long as you can export your existing questions into XLSX format, you can import them seamlessly into Thinkific in a couple of clicks. And there’s no limit to how many you can import, either.
This can be a massive timesaver in more ways than one. Perhaps you don’t want to spend hours creating hundreds of questions (I know I don’t!).
With this option, you can purchase prebuilt questions from third parties or pay someone to create questions on your behalf and simply import them over. Easy!
4. Use a Quiz as a Free Preview Lesson
If you want to give your potential customers a little taste of what your course has to offer, how about including a quiz as a free preview lesson?
Doing this creates a low-risk entry point, which helps reduce hesitation and uncertainty about your product.
If done right, you may convince a few more people to make the purchase. Interactive and engaging freebies spark curiosity and make customers feel excited and confident about enrolling fully.
Just make sure your free quiz provides proper value to the participant but leaves them eager to discover more.
How Thinkific Quizzes Support the Learning Process
Besides reinforcing learning and assessing knowledge, Thinkific quizzes can support other vital parts of your course.
Quizzes Can Control the Learning Path
I’m guilty of this. I get too eager to complete a course and end up skipping modules.
However, it’s to my detriment because I don’t get the full benefit of what the course offers, and ultimately, I don’t learn properly.
Fortunately, Thinkific has a way to prevent this problem from occurring. All you do is make passing a quiz a prerequisite for accessing the next stage of your course.
This means participants have to pay attention to their current module because they need the knowledge to pass the quiz. Without passing the quiz, they can’t progress.
It seems rigid, but trust me. When your students finish the course properly, they will have a greater sense of achievement and satisfaction than if they only finished parts.
Incorporate a Passing Grade
Passing grades means students must demonstrate a certain knowledge level to complete the module or course.
They are important because they ensure students have gained something meaningful and can apply it successfully.
However, passing grades shouldn’t always be used because they can create a lot of stress for the learner.
As an example, I like to:
- Use informal (non-graded) quizzes for learners to practice in a fun, relaxed way.
- Then, I use graded formal quizzes to assess the overall competency at the end of the course.
Enable Student Discussions to Share Ideas
If your quiz is informal, use the discussion feature so your students can chat about it. You and your students can post questions or anything else relevant to the quiz question, and others can respond.
Here are the benefits of enabling discussions:
- It’s a great way to increase engagement around the content and get your students to think more deeply about the topics.
- I’ve found that this is how new ideas and thoughts are generated, which can really enhance the experience for everyone involved.
- Also, if people are struggling or find the questions too easy, they can post their feedback there. This is valuable information for you because you can use it to refine your quizzes and make them even better.
Head to Products > Courses and select the course to which you want to add a quiz.
Click Add Lesson.
From the lesson type menu, select Quiz.
- Give the quiz a title.
- Click Add Question.
- Select if your question will have one or more than one correct answer.
- Add your question in the space provided.
- Now, provide the choice of answers in the spaces provided.
- Check the box next to the correct answer(s).
- Click Add Choice to add more options.
- You can include an explanation that will be displayed when a person has made their choice.
- Hit Save and add new questions as required.
Instead of text, you can choose to upload video, audio, or images. You can also format any text to make it look interesting.
At the bottom of the lesson configuration screen, there are some settings that you can adjust:
- Choose if you want to make the quiz available as a free preview lesson.
- Choose to make passing the quiz a prerequisite for starting the next module.
- Opt to enable discussions.
- Set a passing grade for the quiz—80% or 90%, for example.
- Randomize the questions (Grow plan or higher).
- Add lesson icons and labels (Start plan or higher).
Other Ways to Assess Student Knowledge in Thinkific
If a quiz doesn’t work for your course material, you can try a few other methods.
Include Assignments with Manual Approval
Thinkific does have an assignments feature, but you need at least the Start plan to activate it.
This lets you upload assignment documents and add a description of the exercise. Then, students can submit their completed work according to the deadline you set.
However, there’s a clever workaround if you’re on the free plan. Just create a standard lesson, upload the documents, and have the students email their completed work.
Assignments work very well for:
- Project-based work
- Exercises that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Hands-on or practical application of skills
Integrate Thinkific with Brillium
If you need a formal and structured solution, you may want to consider integrating Thinkific with Brillium.
This gives you access to advanced tools for creating official exams, essays, and in-depth assessments, including all the student evaluation features that go with it.
Although Brillium is a paid platform (from $69 per month), it’s worth it if you need to build accredited courses or learning programs with official certification.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Quizzes Can I Create in Thinkific?
There are no limits to the number of quizzes you can create within your Thinkific Courses, regardless of which plan you are subscribed to.
Are Quizzes Available on All Thinkific Plans?
Yes, Quizzes are available on all Thinkific plans, including the free one. However, some features within the quiz settings, such as randomizing questions, are only accessible on the paid plans.
