How to Write Quiz Questions for an Online Course

Most course quizzes test whether a student was paying attention. Good ones do more: they make students pull the idea back out of memory, which is one of the most reliable ways to make it stick, and they show you which lessons aren't landing.

This guide covers when to quiz, which question types to use, how to write multiple-choice questions that aren't guessable, and how to set pass marks, attempts and feedback.

The short answer

Write course quiz questions that ask students to use an idea, not recall a phrase. Put a short quiz after each lesson or module, mix multiple-choice, true/false and short-answer questions, make every wrong option plausible, and explain each answer after submission. Research rates practice testing among the most effective ways to learn.

Key takeaways

• A major 2013 review of learning techniques rated practice testing as one of only two "high utility" techniques.
• Short, frequent quizzes beat one big exam at the end for learning.
• Ask about situations ("what would you do?") rather than definitions.
• Write wrong answers that reflect real mistakes; avoid "all of the above" and trick wording.
• Show an explanation after each answer, so a wrong answer still teaches.

Disclosure: we make Klasira, an online course platform, and show where it fits. Everything here works on any platform. Figures from other organizations come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.

Why add quizzes to an online course?

Because retrieving information strengthens memory. In 2013, John Dunlosky and colleagues reviewed ten common study techniques in Psychological Science in the Public Interest and rated only two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice (spacing study out over time). Re-reading and highlighting, which is what passive video-watching resembles, rated low.

Quizzes also give you data. If most students miss the same question, the lesson before it needs work.

Which quiz question types should you use?

How do you write a good multiple-choice question?

Guides from university teaching centers give consistent rules. The core ones:

• Put the problem in the question stem, so a student could answer it before seeing the options.
• One clearly best answer. Avoid options that are partly right.
• Plausible wrong answers (distractors) that reflect real misunderstandings.
• Keep options similar in length and grammar; the longest, most detailed option is often the giveaway.
• Avoid "all of the above", "none of the above" and double negatives.
• Test application: a short scenario followed by "what should you do next?"

Example (illustration). Weak: "What is a drip schedule?" Better: "Your students keep skipping ahead and getting lost in module 3. Which change is most likely to help? (a) Add more videos to module 3 (b) Open each lesson only after the previous one is complete (c) Raise the price (d) Remove the quiz from module 2."

Where should quizzes go in a course?

• After each lesson: 2 to 4 quick questions on that lesson.
• After each module: 5 to 10 questions that mix in earlier modules, so students revisit older ideas (spacing).
• Before the certificate: a final quiz or project that matches the course outcome.

Keep lesson quizzes low-stakes. The goal is practice, not a hurdle.

What pass mark and how many attempts?

For practice quizzes, allow unlimited or several attempts and show explanations, so students learn from mistakes. For a final quiz that unlocks a certificate, a pass mark of around 70 to 80% with a few attempts is a common choice; pick what matches how much the certificate is meant to prove. See online course certificates.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions should a course quiz have?

Two to four after a lesson, and five to ten at the end of a module. Short, frequent quizzes help learning more than one long test at the end.

Should course quizzes be graded?

Lesson quizzes work best as low-stakes practice with explanations. Grade, set a pass mark and limit attempts only where you need proof, such as a final quiz before a certificate.

What is a good pass mark for an online course quiz?

Around 70 to 80% is common for a final quiz. Set it based on what the certificate claims and how hard the questions are.

Can AI write quiz questions for my course?

Yes, as a first draft. Check every question for a single correct answer and plausible wrong options, and rewrite definitions into scenario questions.

Where Klasira fits

Klasira's quizzes cover single answer, multiple answers, true/false and short answer, with automatic grading, a pass mark, attempt limits and explanations, and the AI course builder can draft questions from a module's lessons. Start your school or see pricing.

Related: course completion rates, drip vs all-at-once release, course certificates, all guides on creating a course.

Sources

Details about other companies in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products, prices and rules change, so confirm with each source before you decide.

• Dunlosky et al. (2013), Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques
• Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, Writing good multiple choice test questions (archived guide)