Blackboard Tests are created by instructors on the course. Programme administrators will check the settings so that the test is released to students correctly and the timer has been set up.
Test settings panel sections:
- Details and Information
- Presentation Options
- Formative Tools
- Marking & Submission
- Assessment Results
- Additional Tools
Please Note – for Online Exam Tests settings please check our guide Recommended tools and settings for online exams.
Details and Information
- Due date – use widget to set date and time
- No due date – allows a test to run without setting a due date (i.e. formative tests)
- Prohibit late submissions – In-progress attempts will be submitted automatically at the due date and time
- Prohibit new attempts after due date – students can’t start new attempts once the due date and time has passed
- Allow class conversations
Presentation options
- Display one question at a time
- Prohibit backtracking – not recommended
- Randomise questions – don’t use if question order is relevant
- Randomise answers
- Randomise pages – pages can be added to a test using the page break option in the questions list.
- Do not randomise first page
Communicate with Test setter regarding the use of presentation options.
Choose how to display the questions in the test to students. Question all at once or one at a time, in order or randomly.
Formative Tools
- Formative assessment – tags the assessment as formative for use with filters in Gradebook etc.
- Display formative label to student – possible to tag as formative but not allow students to view that label.
Marking & Submissions
- Mark category – Test as default
- Any categories created in the Gradebook will appear here.
- Attempts allowed – 1-10 or Unlimited
- Mark using
- Complete/Incomplete
- Letter
- Percentation
- Points
- Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
- Maximum points – automatically calculated from question points.
- You can’t edit the maximum points for an assessment that contains individually scored questions.
- Hide student names – for anonymous marking – not possible with post automatically
- Delegated Marking – for multiple markers – markers see their group’s submission only
- Post assessment marks automatically – only use for formative test
Assessment Results
Automated feedback, scores and answer availability conditions will apply after the student submission is visible.
- Actions:
- Allow student to view their submission
- Show automated feedback
- show question scores
- Show correct answers
- One Time*
- Options:
- After submission
- After individual mark has been posted
- After due date
- After all marks have been posted
- On specific date
*One Time allows the test results to be shown to the students once, directly after completing the test.
Additional Tools
In the additional tools section you will be able to set a timer for the test, assign groups and enable Turnitin.
- Time limit – add a timer to you test
- Goals & Standards
- Assigned Groups – only available if a timer has not been set
- Originality Report – enable Turnitin
Timer
- Add time limit – in minutes
Submission rules
- option 1: (recommended) work is automatically saved and submitted when the time expires.
- option 2: students have extra time to work after the time limit expires.
- When initial time expires, tell students that work submitted after the initial time limit may receive partial credit.
- + 50% of time
- + 100% of time
- Unlimited extra time
- When initial time expires, tell students that work submitted after the initial time limit may receive partial credit.
Groups
It is only possible to assign groups to a test if you are not using the Time limit function.
Follow the guidance for in our guide Create a Group Assignment to assign groups.
Guide last updated on April 29, 2026