KB856945 | HOW TO: Create and Manage Assessment Versions

KB856945 | HOW TO: Create and Manage Assessment Versions


In this lesson, you will learn how to create version answer keys if your assessment has multiple versions. When version answer keys are created, Lightning Grader and Illuminate will be able to appropriately score as your key is designed. Answer Sheets will have a version number for students to bubble in, for Lightning Grader to know which key to follow during administration.

Multiple versions can be added to an assessment after it has already been created, but multiple versions cannot be added to an assessment after it already has data in it. This lesson will show you how to establish multiple versions when you first create an assessment manually.

Before You Get Started

  • For Manual/Hybrid Assessments, you can create multiple versions of the same assessment (e.g., a classroom quiz, district benchmark exam, unit test, homework assignment, rubric-based essay, project or portfolio, etc.) to help discourage cheating.
  • You will need to print answer documents that specifically allow for this assessment's multiple versions, as this will allow you to score all assessments (regardless of version) simultaneously (mixed together, etc.), and it will also allow you to view all results within the same reports.
  • For more information on an assessment's nature, see the Introduction to Assessments lesson.

Where to Start


  1. Click Assessments.
  2. Under General, click View Assessments. Once on the list, click on the title of the test you would like to edit.

3. If you are not already on the Assessment Setup tab, click Setup and then Versions.


Click Add a New Version once for every additional version you would like to create.


Click the name of the version you would like to change the question order and/or the answers/distractors.


All of your versions display Version 1 (Master) when opened for the first time. Adjust your answer key according to your assessment versions:

  1. Version Order displays the question order on the version you're working on.
  2. From Master displays the question's original position, which is its position on Version 1 (Master) of your assessment. For example, in the image above Question 1 on the test "Master" (original/Version 1) can now be Question 3, and Question 3 on the Master can now be Question 6, etc.
  3. Use the drop down menus to assign questions in a new order for each version. You may also change the answer.
  4. If you have more than two addition versions, you can select the Version Menu to continue building various version answer keys for your assessment.

Continue in this fashion until all of your versions look the way you want them to (i.e., correctly match the version copies you will be distributing to students), Then click Save.

Note: When changing positions of questions, please do not mix question types (multiple choice should not be positioned where there is a rubric). The reason is that the form will only print one layout of the questions, therefore the questions and answers will not match.

When answer sheet are generated, an additional area called Assessment Version will be available. Students will bubble in which assessment version they have according to your test booklet.

Created by Illuminate

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