The 7 Best Online Test Makers for Teachers — Free and Paid

Are you tired of spending hours crafting paper tests for your students? If so, it’s time to explore the world of test maker tools. These user-friendly platforms enable teachers to easily create online tests, saving valuable time that can be better spent on instruction and student support.

One of the key features of these tools is the availability of existing templates, making it an easy test maker even for educators who are new to the concept. These templates cover a wide range of question formats, including the ever-popular multiple choice questions. With just a few clicks, you can customize these templates to suit your specific needs, whether you’re assessing knowledge retention, gauging comprehension, or evaluating critical thinking skills.

In this article, we’ll delve deeper into the world of test maker tools, exploring their benefits, features, and how they can revolutionize your approach to online assessments and course creation. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or a novice teacher, these tools can enhance your teaching experience and ultimately benefit your students’ learning outcomes.

For your convenience, we’ve divided the tools into two major categories:

• The 3 best free test makers
• The 4 best paid test makers

Continue reading for a detailed analysis of each tool. But in case you’re short of time, here’s a quick side-by-side view of all the online quiz makers we reviewed. 

Test Maker Comparison Chart

Key Features of a Test Maker for Teachers

Let’s list the features you should consider when choosing the best test generator for teachers before diving in:

• Multiple question types. You need an online tool to create multiple choice questions, true or false questions, drag-and-drop, and hotspot question templates.

• A variety of settings. Remember that students cheat, so be cautious. Use an online test maker that shuffles questions and answers before sending an online quiz to another student to save time. Effective test maker has branching, feedback, and info slides.

• Analytics and reporting. Why manually test when you can automate? Many online quiz makers offer this, but you should watch how detailed their reporting is. Is the online tool limited to tracking correct and incorrect answers or provides more detailed reports?

• Responsive output. Students spend a lot of time on their phones, so learning should also happen on those phones. That’s why it’s a good idea to use a solution to make quizzes work on mobile devices.

How We Tested Test Makers for Teachers

Let’s examine some good test makers for teachers. We researched, checked reviews, tested tools, and compared them using these metrics:

• Question types. The types of questions a tool offers and how complex
  they are.

• Testing rules. How customizable test features like scoring are,
  and how to create cheat-proof tests.

• Bells and whistles. Cool, yet not super-essential options fall into
  this category.

• Sharing and reports. How to publish a test and track learners’ results.

The 3 Best Free Test Makers

There are some free test making software for teachers that can help you create quizzes and tests online. However, some may be hard to use and lack the key features you want in a tool. 

1. Hot Potatoes — Easily create language exercises

Hot Potatoes is a free test maker that includes six applications and is available for both Windows and Mac. Five of them are for creating various types of exercises, and the last one allows you to mix and match them. 

This test creator for teachers is ideal for language instructors who want to create vocabulary quizzes and small practice exercises for their students.

Key features and how it works

Hot Potatoes is a collection of six tools. You can make separate exercises or combine them, then publish them as web pages or upload them to your LMS. The tool is also available in Java for Mac computers, but it is not SCORM-compliant. Advanced functionality is only available to those familiar with JavaScript and HTML.

1. Question types. There are 8 question types, including fill-in-the-blank, matching, multiple choice, jumbled sentence, and crossword.

2. Testing rules. This free online test maker for teachers allows you to assign weights to certain types of questions, set penalties for incorrect answers, and limit the amount of time it takes to pass a test. During a test, students may ask for hints or correct their mistakes.

3. Bells and whistles. The tool allows instructors to connect different online tests so students can move from one activity to another. Regarding design and multimedia, questions and answers can include graphics, links, audio, and video. There is also a special clipart library available to illustrate basic vocabulary.

4. Sharing and reports. You can publish online tests as web pages (which are easily edited in WYSIWYG editors), create SCORM packages for LMSs, or copy quizzes to a document for printing. You can email test results through your server (complicated configuration) or report them in your LMS. Online tests can be uploaded to hotpotatoes.net, a virtual learning environment, to track student progress. Subscriptions start at $64 for this platform.

Pricing

Hot Potatoes is available as a freeware download from Half-Baked Software’s homepage. This free online exam software for teachers is good for non-profit or educational institutions as long as the materials produced are freely available to anyone via the Internet. Otherwise, a license starts at $100 for one user.

Best suited for

Hot Potatoes seems to be designed with K-12 educators in mind, particularly those in the Language Arts disciplines. It’s a good choice for creating easy drill-and-practice exercises to help students work toward mastery of a concept rather than graded quizzes and interactive tests.

2. Google Forms + Flubaroo — Quick online quizzing for teachers

Google Forms allows you to create online surveys and simple tests and save the results in a spreadsheet, while Flubaroo, an extension for Google Sheets, analyzes these results and grades them in a new spreadsheet. This combo is available from any device with an internet connection, and surveys and tests are easy to take from phones and tablets.

Key features and how it works

Create a new Google Form, type in the questions, save the form, and add the answer keys. The results of the test you give your students are put into a spreadsheet. 

To grade the results automatically, you need to install Flubaroo, a plugin for Google Forms. Google form creates a good test template for teachers that allows them to quickly calculates students’ results and shows them on the same spreadsheet.

1. Question types. There are 9 question types available in this free test maker, including multiple choice questions, file upload, checkbox grid, time question, and others.

2. Testing rules. As Google Forms is better suited for surveys, the testing rules are quite simple. It’s possible to shuffle questions, collect students’ emails, and allow them to edit answers after submitting.

3. Bells and whistles. You can collect students’ emails and leave individual feedback when they complete the survey. Form design is customizable: you can add a theme, change color, or include a photo header. You can upload images or add videos, links, or websites can to your answer feedback. As for branching, a teacher can set up a test so that learners will only see certain sections based on their answers.

4. Sharing and reports. A teacher can report the average score, number of difficult questions, percent of students who gave correct answer, attempts, frequently missed questions, etc. The report is displayed as a table or a diagram. Students can get their results by email. What’s also cool about this free test maker for teachers is its ability to share online tests with colleagues for collaborative work and review.

Pricing

This tool is completely free.

Best suited for

Google Forms + Flubaroo is a good pick for those who need to create a lot of surveys and quick quizzes and don’t have enough time to do grading manually. Online tests and surveys are available online and can be used as a quick assessment maker for teachers.

3. QuizStar — an LMS-like experience for teachers

QuizStar is a free test maker for teachers that lets you create quizzes, invite students to an online classroom, and view test results in your browser. Since the website doesn’t have a mobile version, computer tests are better than browser tests.

Key features and how it works

A teacher registers on the website, creates a test, and types in questions. Then they have to create an online class and assign the test to a group of students like in an LMS.

1. Question types. This online quiz maker offers 3 simple types of questions: multiple-choice, true/false, and short answer, which allow you to create simple assessments.

2. Testing rules. You can create open or private online classes with self-registration. Students who log in with instructor credentials can take private tests. You can set the timer, attempts, and points. Test start and end dates can be specified. Questions can’t be shuffled.

3. Bells and whistles. Everything is quite minimalistic: there’s no customizable design, multimedia options, or branching. Students can get test instructions and feedback for each question. The main benefit of this free online testing platform for teachers is that they can create online classrooms and get reports like in a learning management system without installing any software.

4. Sharing and reports. Students take the assigned online tests in their browsers. Reports contain test results overview, question analysis, and student results. The report manager allows you to send results to a teacher daily or weekly.

Pricing

This test generator software for teachers offers a free download.

Best suited for

QuizStar is an easy way to launch eLearning in a school without an LMS. It is a good online test platform for teachers who want to assess students systematically, save time on preparation, analyze students’ results, and do all this for free.

The 4 Best Paid Test Makers

If you’re looking for high-quality performance, a wide range of testing capabilities, and expert technical support, you might want to invest in paid test making software for teachers. Here are four paid test makers that continue to be popular among teachers and other quiz developers.  

4. iSpring QuizMaker – Well-designed interactive quizzes in a snap

iSpring QuizMaker is an intuitive yet powerful tool for creating online quizzes of any complexity, including comprehensive employee assessments, drag-and-drop exercises, interactive quizzes with multiple response, quick surveys, and more.

It will help eLearning developers and instructors organize mobile assessments in record time and get detailed reports on each learner’s performance and any particular test.

Key features and how it works

This test generator for teachers is easy to navigate, as it has tabs and ribbons similar to MS Office. With the WYSIWYG editor, interactive tests are very simple to create. You can choose from 14 templates for graded and survey questions and fill them in with your text and media within minutes. The test design is responsive, so this tool will help you deliver a great mobile learning experience.

1. Question types. iSpring QuizMaker has 14 graded and survey question types for comprehensive knowledge assessment, including multiple-choice, matching, drag-and-drop, word bank, hotspot, essay, and Likert scale.
2. Testing rules. You can set time limits, the number of attempts, random question choice, and the opportunity to skip a question. Assign points or penalties for each question, even partially answered ones, and set a passing score. Testing multiple topics is easy with grouped and graded questions.
3. Bells and whistles. Students can receive detailed feedback with audio and images. There is also a branching option to create learning paths for each student: learners can be directed to a specific question or explanation slide depending on their answers. It’s possible to enhance quizzes with images, audio, videos, and formulas and create a question bank on a specific subject, for instance. Plus, the test’s backgrounds, layouts, fonts, and colors are easily customizable.
4. Sharing and reports. Tests are created in HTML5 format and can be published on a website, LMS, MS Word, or a cloud sharing service offered by the same vendor. The preview option helps you see how a test will look on various devices before publishing. Tracking learner performance is easy with the tool’s insightful reports. You can get detailed answers for each question or group. Even without an LMS, you can get full reports via email or your local server.

Pricing

A free 14-day fully functional trial is available. A subscription to iSpring QuizMaker costs $370/year. There are special discounts for educators, students, non-profit organizations, and governmental institutions.

Best suited for

iSpring QuizMaker is a good pick for both teachers and eLearning course creators. It has no learning curve and allows you to create interactive assessments and exercises ready for all devices.

Try iSpring QuizMaker →

5. Articulate Quizmaker 360 – Build complex interactions

Tech-savvy eLearning developers can create complex non-standard assessments with this tool. It has many settings and lets you create unlimited quizzes for all devices.

Key features and how it works

This test generator software for teachers is shipped as a part of Articulate 360, a bundle of 9 tools. Articulate Quizmaker 360 is a standalone application with a PowerPoint-like interface. It features a lot of options and allows you to use both question templates and pre-made questions from scratch; however, it might take you a while to learn the ropes and explore all the capabilities.

1. Question types. Articulate’s application has 20 form-based and 6 free-form questions, including both standard multiple choice, matching, etc., and complex drag-n-drop activities.

2. Testing rules. You can configure complex scoring (including negative points and points for partial answers), set the number of attempts, allow users to skip questions, and so on. Questions can be sorted into groups and shuffled.

3. Bells and whistles. Test design and media are customizable: Use templates to add audio, video, images, web objects, etc. This tool integrates with the Content Library, so you can add characters and beautiful slide templates to online tests. Students can also receive audio and video feedback for each question. Branching scenarios are easy to create in tests. 

4. Sharing and reports. Articulate-made quizzes can be published on the Web, an existing tests or presentations, LMS, CD, or MS Word. Quizzes are published in HTML5 and Flash formats, so they’re easy to view on mobile devices. Plus, you can publish a test to Articulate 360 and share it online with colleagues for review. As for reporting, quiz results can be tracked in an LMS only.

Pricing

Articulate’s Quizmaker comes as a part of Articulate 360, a subscription that costs $999 per year for one user. A fully functional 30-day free trial of the authoring software is also available.

Best suited for

Articulate Quizmaker 360 is a full-fledged tool with many sophisticated features. With its freeform question types and rich design capabilities, it’s a good fit for tech-savvy eLearning pros. However, it comes as part of a large, expensive bundle, which implies that the target audience is looking for more than just an online test creator for teachers.

6. Respondus – Create secure exams for your LMS

Respondus evaluates learning management systems. University teachers can utilize it because it works with popular edu-focused LMSs and ships a cheating-prevention browser. Respondus lets you create Blackboard Learn 9.x, Brightspace 10.x, Canvas, IMS QTI 1.x, Pearson LearningStudio quizzes, and quizzes for Moodle.

Key features and how it works

Online exams in Respondus can be made up from the available publisher test bank or by using the exam wizard. First, choose your LMS (the tool creates different “personalities” for each LMS), then create your questions and upload the test to your learning system. Questions can be imported from Word or other software exams. The UI resembles Windows 98, but all essential features are visible.

1. Question types. The number of questions varies for different LMSs. In general, the tool offers 15 question types, including calculated and algorithmic questions.

2. Testing rules. With Respondus, you can protect your quizzes with a password, set time limits, block the right mouse button, and require students to use a special browser to avoid cheating. Students can also take a test multiple times and submit the answers late without points. Plus, you can create groups of questions and randomize them.

3. Bells and whistles. You can select questions from thousands of publisher test banks to create a test. Question and answer posts can include images, videos, audio, formulas (a Mathtype-based equation editor), and Word and PDF documents. After a test, students can check their answers with feedback. Respondus Lockdown browser, which integrates with LMSs, prevents student cheating. Students cannot switch between applications, copy or print text, etc., during an exam with this browser.

4. Sharing and reports. Sharing options are limited: Respondus-made tests can be printed or uploaded to an LMS. You can publish tests directly to an online course or even multiple courses and move them between different LMSs. There’s an option to preview how a test looks before putting it in an LMS. You can generate reports in your learning management system and see scores, overall stats, and answer distribution. You can also archive and restore quiz projects to share them with colleagues.

Pricing

This online test generator for teachers has a free 30-day trial. Licenses are available for $79 USD if you purchase with a credit card online or $149 if you purchase via check or purchase order.

Best suited for

Respondus seems to be the go-to software for university professors who use one of the LMSs it supports. Since the main function of the software is to administer and collect secure, timed exams, it would have little appeal for the business and training sectors.

7. QuestionWriter HTML5 — Create SCORM-compliant assessments

QuestionWriter HTML5 is another paid online test generator for teachers designed for creating customizable SCORM-compliant quizzes and tracking students’ results. It’s a sort of exam creation software that allows instructors to develop assessments for the Web and LMSs, fine-tune quiz settings, and get reports.

Key features and how it works

QuestionWriter is a desktop test writing software for teachers that offers rich customization options. You can create tests from scratch or use one of 20 pre-made quiz templates (which, however, look a bit outdated). The tool supports HTML5 mobile-ready format, but the quiz design is not responsive, so the tests aren’t so easy to take on mobile devices.

1. Question types. Question Writer offers 10 types of questions, including Multiple Choice, Matching, Essay, Explanation, and more.

2. Testing rules. There are many settings (some are hard to configure). When the time limit expires, the results are automatically sent to the instructor. You can set points and penalties, grade partial answers, create question pools and randomize questions, and apply multiple scores. Students can also be asked for details during quizzes.

3. Bells and whistles. There are 20 quiz templates, but their design and layout seem old-fashioned. Instructors will appreciate the rich feedback options (answer, question, or quiz-level feedback, etc.) and the branching feature, which helps customize the test scenario. Questions can be enhanced with images and Flash objects; audio and video are not supported.

4. Sharing and reports. A test made in QuestionWriter can be uploaded to the Web or an LMS (if it supports SCORM 1.2), exported to text or QTI format, or printed. As for reports, users can receive them via email, export them as Excel files, or check them online. Quiz results can be sent to the server or email (both teachers’ and students’)

Pricing

For $495, you can use everything this quiz generator for teachers has to offer, including unlimited test authoring, email/forum support, and access to the test management software.

Best suited for

QuestionWriter HTML5 allows users to create simple tests for the Web and a number of LMSs using basic question types. It works well for those who want to track students’ results and don’t need their tests to look professional and polished.

How to Choose a Test Maker

iSpring QuizMaker and Articulate Quizmaker 360 will be the best fit for course developers. If you need to create engaging mobile-ready quizzes in a snap and collect detailed reports, iSpring is a good choice. Articulate allows you to create complicated tests with layers and variables but takes more time to learn.

Respondus can be the right tool for university professors who use one of the learning management systems it supports and want to prevent cheating on their online exams. QuestionWriter is more feature rich and is also a good test maker for teachers; however, both tools have a rather old-fashioned UI and test design.

If you need to create online quizzes or surveys and don’t want to install any tools or applications, check out the Google Forms and Flubaroo bundle. QuizStar will help school teachers who need to track students’ results but don’t have an LMS, and Hot Potatoes is a good choice for those who create simple drill-and-practice exercises, especially in the Language Arts.

FAQ on Test Makers

What is a test maker?

A test maker is a software that allows you to create quizzes and assess learners’ knowledge online. Depending on a particular tool, they may have different question types, various testing rules, and degrees of customization. 

Why use online testing software?

There are many benefits to using these tools. We’ll highlight three main ones: 

• You can create unlimited tests and deliver them online to reach more people in your classroom, in another city, or even abroad. 

• Quiz makers save teachers time. They can create a quiz once and distribute it to test takers. Users don’t need to manually check tests because most tools calculate scores and grade tests instantly.

• By giving students unique question sets or rearranging questions and answers, test makers can reduce cheating. 

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s no shortage of online test makers in today’s market. But if you’d like to conduct comprehensive knowledge assessments and create beautifully designed interactive quizzes, check out iSpring QuizMaker. 

No tech skills or design background are required to get started with this quiz maker for teachers. Download a 14-day free trial to see how this test maker for teachers works for you.