Creating a test project

Prerequisite

You have questions in your library by having completed one of the following workflows:

• Conversion from exam files

• Generation from study materials

• Creating an item from scratch

Steps

1. Create an assembly project

1. Open the dashboard.

2. Select the From existing questions and tests card or Create questions and tests > From existing questions and tests in the left sidebar.

4. Click Start Building. You can also view recent projects from this view.

2. Name and tag the project

1. Add a test name.

2. For users or organizations that have set up categories as a way of tagging documents and output files, enter the correct values for each mandatory category.

3. Optional: Under the Advanced configuration dropdown, set which metadata categories apply to the project’s output file(s):

   1. Select Manage Categories for Test.

   2. The list displays which Categories are already assigned to the Tests output type. Select a category to make it mandatory.

   3. Click Delete to remove the category from the list (does not delete the category from the system).

   4. Add an existing category from Studio Settings to the list, or create a new category (this will be added to the list in Studio Settings and will be available for other projects).

   5. The system will default to using whichever categories are assigned by Studio Settings. Click Reset to return to the defaults.

   6. Click Apply.

4. Click Create Project. You will be redirected to the project setup page.

3. Test assembly - adding questions from the library

1. In Step 1, click Select from library. This will open a dialog where you can select approved questions from the library.

   1. You can search by name, or filter by tag/category.

   2. Click Add filter to select a Category. You can add multiple categories to narrow down the search.

   3. Use the Filter by tag option to type a specific category value (metadata/tags). Once applied, the search will automatically apply the Category the tag belongs to as a filter. For example, type “gra” to see all the grade values that belong to the Grade Level category. Once You select a grade value, the search is filtered by Grade Level → Grade.

   4. For more information on filters and library search, see Searching for content.

2. Once the questions are selected, you can preview them by clicking the eye icon, or remove them by clicking the trash icon.

3. Once you have approved all of the questions, select them in the list, then proceed to Step 2.

4. Test assembly - defining the structure

Build sections by clicking add sections, and select the pencil icon to name a section.

5. Test assembly - add questions to sections

For each section, choose question sources:

1. From your question set: Use From your question set when the section should use specific questions already selected in the project. This is best for fixed tests where every learner should see the same items.

   Within this mode, you can:

   1. Choose the questions assigned to the section.

   2. Review the selected question order.

   3. Move questions up or down.

   4. Remove questions that do not belong.

2. Randomly from the library: Use Randomly from the library when the section should draw questions from a filtered library pool. This is useful when the test blueprint says something like "choose five Algebra questions from the approved bank."

When using the library source:

• • Apply taxonomy filters so the pool matches the tags you need.

  • Enter the number of questions to include.

  • Check the available file count before executing.

6. Test assembly - randomization

Randomization helps produce different candidate experiences while preserving the section blueprint.

You can configure a section to select question randomly from the library (see step 4), or you can randomize a question set that you have selected:

1. Select a section.

2. Use the From your question set source.

3. Enable Pick randomly from this question set when available.

4. Enter how many questions the section should use.

5. Check the maximum available count so the section does not request more questions than the project contains.

7. Test assembly - delivery options

When the structure is ready, add output details and create the assembled test.

1. Add required metadata in Add details. Metadata comes from the taxonomy configured for the output document type (either in Studio Settings, or from the Advanced configuration in project setup).

2. Select Create test assembly.

7. Viewing assembly results

Once the content is complete, you will be redirected to the Results tab. Under Assembled test, you can view the test as a .zip file.

Under the assembled test results, you will see a menu of the available actions:

• Select Preview to review generated content. This will open a split view dialog, with the source material on the left and generated test as it will appear to test takers on the left. Use the number line/blue arrows to navigate through the test.

• View in Library. After assembly, open a source question and check Relationships > Project Usage to see which assembly projects use it.

• Repeat execution: runs the build again with the same setup. When the output name matches, TAO Studio updates the existing library file (a new revision on the same item) instead of creating a duplicate row. Outputs with the same display name from a different source stay separate.

• Download: Download the final package with a recognizable versioned filename, and keep the result card available while the test is still under review.

• Delete the execution result