Custom exam forms
Create reusable question forms, link them to custom-form exam types, and understand how structured submissions appear in the Exam Center grading and attempt workflow.
Custom exam forms let you collect structured answers from students beyond a simple file upload. Build forms once — with named question fields — and reuse them across exam types that use the Custom form submission format. When students submit, they fill in the fields you defined; exam staff review those answers on the attempt tab alongside other submission data.
Custom forms are the right tool when an assessment needs comparable, field-level responses (short answers, choices, structured declarations) rather than only an uploaded document.
Why it matters
Many regulated assessments are not free-form uploads. Oral exam protocols, reflection questionnaires, practical checklists, and application-style exam sheets all benefit from a shared question structure so:
- Every student sees the same fields.
- Graders compare like with like on the attempt tab.
- Module teams can optionally refine fields per module version without rebuilding the whole exam type.
Forms stay in a shared library; exam types and module versions decide when a form is used. That separation keeps templates maintainable as programs evolve. The form does not replace rating mode, attempt workflow, or ruleset limits — those still come from the exam type and academic rulesets.
How it fits
| Step | Where |
|---|---|
| Build the form | Exam Types → Custom Forms tab or Settings → Exam Center |
| Link the form | Create or edit an exam type with type Custom form |
| Attach to curriculum | Module version examination requirement |
| Run and grade | My Exams → attempt tab / grading |
Rating mode on the exam type (Graded, pass/fail, or participation) still governs how the result is recorded — the form collects answers; the grading scale defines the outcome scale. Structured questions can support either summative exams or lighter checks; choose rating mode to match examination regulations.
Domain patterns that fit custom forms
| Pattern | Why a form helps | Suggested rating mode (strategy) |
|---|---|---|
| Oral exam protocol | Fixed criteria fields for every examiner | Often Graded (numeric or letter schema) |
| Reflection / portfolio questionnaire | Comparable short answers across a cohort | Graded or Pass or fail per regulation |
| Practical checklist | Binary competence items as evidence | Pass or fail or Participation — see Participation and ungraded completion |
| Topic confirmation sheet | Structured declaration before a presentation | Pair with topic-confirmation settings on the exam type when used |
| Points-based rubric sheet | Evidence fields before conversion to a grade | Graded; convert via your table — Bonus points and grade rounding |
Formative teaching quizzes that never enter examination regulations usually do not need a custom exam form in the Exam Center; keep those in course tools unless the assessment must appear in My Exams. Format catalog: Assessment formats.
Where to manage forms
Exam Center → Exam Types → Custom Forms tab
Go to OrgHub → Exam Center → Exam Types and open the Custom Forms tab to create, edit, and delete forms used by exam types.
Settings → Exam Center
Forms are also manageable at Settings → OrgHub → Exam Center → Custom Exam Forms. Both locations edit the same form library.
How forms connect to exams
- Create a custom exam form with the question fields you need.
- Create or edit an exam type with type Custom form and select the form.
- Attach the exam type to a module version.
- When students submit, they fill in the form fields defined on the form.
Optionally enable editable at module version level on the exam type so module administrators can customize form fields per module version without changing the base template.
End-to-end scenario
- Exam office builds a “Thesis proposal questionnaire” form with named fields.
- They create exam type Custom form — Graded — reassessment period, link the form, and set duration/scheduling as needed.
- Curriculum attaches the type to a module version.
- Students submit answers; graders open Attempt 1 (then later attempts per Attempt lifecycle), read the structured fields, and enter a schema grade, pass/fail, or participation mark.
- Staff publish via the normal grading publish flow.
How to create a custom exam form
Go to OrgHub → Exam Center → Exam Types → Custom Forms (or Settings → OrgHub → Exam Center → Custom Exam Forms).
Select Create to open the form editor.
Enter a form name and add question fields (text, choice, and other supported field types).
Preview the form layout before saving.
Save the form. It appears in the list and can be linked from exam type creation.
At exam creation and submission
When an administrator plans an exam whose type is Custom form, the linked form’s fields appear in the student submission flow. Exam staff review submitted answers alongside other submission data on the attempt tab.
From My Exams, open the exam and use the attempt workflow described in Grade & manage an exam and Grade submissions. The form answers inform the grade; the exam type’s rating mode still determines whether you enter a schema grade, pass/fail, or participation mark.
Delete restrictions
A form cannot be deleted while it is linked to one or more exam types. Remove the form from all exam types first, then delete it from the Custom Forms tab.
Best practices
- Name forms by purpose — for example “Thesis proposal questionnaire” — so creators can find them when linking exam types.
- Preview before publish — catch missing required fields before students submit.
- Keep grading separate — design questions for evidence; set rating mode and schemas for outcomes (Configure grading scale).
- Limit module-level edits when institutional comparability matters; open them when pedagogical flexibility matters more.
- Retire carefully — unlink from all exam types before delete; archive naming (for example a “retired” prefix in the name) if you need a soft decommission without deleting yet.
- Align attempt workflow on the linked type — a custom-form Klausur that must use reassessment approval still needs reassessment period on the exam type, not only a well-designed form (Attempt lifecycle).
Common pitfalls
- Creating a Custom form exam type before any form exists — create the form first.
- Trying to delete a form still linked to exam types.
- Overloading one form for unrelated assessments — prefer multiple focused forms.
- Assuming changing the form rewrites past submissions — treat live exams as sensitive; plan switches like other exam-type edits (Edit an exam type).
- Expecting the form to define attempt limits — limits come from rulesets; workflow from the exam type.
FAQ
Do Custom Forms use the same access as Exam Types?
Custom exam forms require the FuxamCMS Exam Types feature. Creating forms requires permission to create exam types.
Where do graders see form answers?
On the exam attempt tab in the Exam Center, alongside other submission data, when reviewing and grading the attempt.
Does a custom form change how resits work?
No. Resits and reassessment follow the exam type’s attempt workflow and the student’s ruleset limits. The form only structures the submission. See Attempt lifecycle.
Related pages
- Assessment formats — when custom forms fit oral, practical, and portfolio patterns.
- Create an exam type — link a form to a custom-form type.
- Exam types — overview of examination requirement templates.
- Grade submissions — grade custom-form submissions on attempt tabs.
- Configure grading scale — rating modes that apply to form-based exams.
- Attempt lifecycle — how attempt workflow and limits apply regardless of submission format.
- My Exams — find and open the resulting exam instances.
- Grade & manage an exam — detail tabs, pending, publish.