Exercises
The exercises tool (also called "tests") lets you create quizzes and exams with automatic grading. Chamilo supports a wide variety of question types, from simple multiple choice to interactive hotspot questions.
Creating an Exercise
Open the Exercises
tool from the course homepageClick New exercise
Enter a title and optional description
Configure the exercise settings (see below)
Save, then add questions
Exercise Settings
Display and Navigation
Question layout
All on one page / One per page
Show all questions at once or one at a time
Hide question titles
Yes / No
Whether to show question titles to learners
Show previous button
Yes / No
Allow learners to go back to previous questions
Prevent backwards navigation
Yes / No
Force learners to answer in order without going back
Time and Availability
Time limit
Maximum time (in minutes) to complete the exercise. A countdown timer is shown to the learner
Start date
When the exercise becomes available to learners
End date
When the exercise stops being available
Attempts and Scoring
Maximum attempts
How many times a learner can take the exercise (0 = unlimited)
Pass percentage
The minimum score to pass (e.g., 70%). Learners who do not reach this threshold see a failure message
Propagate negative scoring
Whether negative points on individual questions reduce the total score below zero
Feedback
At the end
Show results and correct answers after the learner submits
Immediate
Show feedback after each question (useful for learning exercises)
Exam mode
Do not show any feedback or results
Results Display
Control what learners see after completing the exercise:
Show score and expected answers
Show score only
Show score with category breakdown
Show ranking among other learners
Show only on last attempt
Show radar chart visualization
Completion Messages
Success message — Custom text shown when the learner passes
Failure message — Custom text shown when the learner does not reach the pass percentage
Question Randomization
Random question order
Shuffle the order of questions for each attempt
Random answers
Shuffle answer options within each question
Random by category
Select random questions from each question category
You can also configure advanced selection strategies that combine categories and randomization.
Question Types
Chamilo offers a rich set of question types organized into several categories:
Single Choice
Multiple choice (single answer) — Learner selects one correct answer from a list of options
Single answer with images — Same as above, but answer options are displayed as images
Multiple Choice
Multiple answer — Learner selects one or more correct answers
Multiple answer (dropdown) — Answer options are presented as dropdown menus
True/False — A series of statements that the learner marks as true or false
True/False with degree of certainty — True/false with an additional confidence level, enabling more nuanced scoring
Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks — Learner completes missing words in a text. You define the blanks and accepted answers when creating the question.
Matching
Matching — Learner connects items from two columns
Matching (draggable) — Same concept, but with a drag-and-drop interface
Draggable — Drag items into the correct positions
Open-Ended
Free answer (essay) — Learner writes a text response. Requires manual grading (or AI-assisted grading if configured)
Oral expression — Learner records an audio response using their microphone
Upload answer — Learner uploads a file as their answer
Hotspot
Hotspot — Learner clicks on specific areas of an image to answer
Hotspot delineation — Learner draws boundaries around areas on an image
Calculated
Calculated answer — Numerical questions with a formula and tolerance range. Useful for math and science courses.
Special
Reading comprehension — Tests based on reading a passage
Annotation — Teacher uploads an image and the learner annotates it
Answer in Office document — When the OnlyOffice plugin is enabled, the learner answers the question by editing an embedded Office document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Their response is saved as a separate file under the exercise so it can be reviewed alongside the rest of their attempt.
Adding Questions to an Exercise
Open the exercise and click Add a question
Select the question type
Enter the question text (supports rich text with images and formatting)
Define the answers and their scoring:
For each answer option, specify whether it is correct and how many points it is worth
You can assign negative points to wrong answers to discourage guessing
Optionally add feedback — explanations shown to the learner after answering
Set the difficulty level and category (useful for random selection and reporting)
Save
Question Categories
You can organize questions into categories (e.g., "Module 1", "Vocabulary", "Advanced"). Categories are useful for:
Organizing large question banks
Enabling random selection by category (e.g., "5 questions from Module 1, 3 from Module 2")
Viewing scores broken down by category in reports
Question Reuse
Questions can be reused across exercises within the same course. When adding a question, you can choose to create a new one or select an existing question from the question bank.
Importing Exercises
Chamilo supports importing exercises from external formats:
IMS QTI / Common Cartridge — The standard e-learning quiz format
Moodle format — Import quizzes from Moodle exports
To import, look for the Import option in the exercises tool and upload your file.
Tips
Mix question types — Combine multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, and open-ended questions for a comprehensive assessment
Use categories — Organize questions by topic to enable targeted random selection
Set a pass percentage — Give learners a clear target and link it to certificate generation via the Gradebook
Use immediate feedback for practice — Create ungraded practice exercises with immediate feedback to help learners learn from their mistakes
Randomize for integrity — Enable random question order and random answers to reduce the chance of copying
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