[texhax] Creating Exams with LaTeX?!

[Schwartz, Steven J]

Torsten,

I maintain a latex class for our exams. It is tailored to our needs of course but may prove a useful starting point for you to hack away at (which is what I did based on an original by a previous colleague). You can pick it up at www.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~sjs/FOR/ICPHEXAM/

The class allows you to do various things, like count up the partial allocation of exam marks, produce from a single file versions with just the questions, both questions and your model answers, or just the answers, etc. Including graphics and equations just relies on normal latex commands. It would be easy to leave space for the students to write answers with a simple construction like:

\fbox{
	\parbox[]{\linewidth}{\hfill\vspace{10\baselineskip}}
}

I'm not sure I understand what else you want/need, but creating solution sheets, or tick boxes, or whatever, is all straightforward in latex. As you'll see from my class, you can use class options to control what actually gets printed. So you could generate a condensed version that just had all the questions, and one with space left for answers by defining and changing a class option.

HTH

Best wishes
Steve

Torsten Wagner wrote on 2013-06-19:
----------------
> Hi,
> 
> I was wondering if there is any preferred method (class) to create 
> written exams with LaTeX.
> My exams consist basically only of two large exercises with subitems.
> Sometimes I would need a graphic and there is need for equations.
> There are about 100-150 subscribers for a single exam.
> 
> I checked on CTAN and there are some packages. I simply wonder which 
> one is in common use, or which one is more or less obsolete.
> 
> Furthermore, I would like to introduce some automatism which makes it 
> easier for me to rate the exams later. E.g. I was thinking to ask 
> students to fill in the answers in allocated spaces.
> Another idea would be some automation to create solution sheets, point 
> and mark tables, etc.
> 
> I am aware that I might not be able to achieve the last ideas with pure LaTeX.
> Thus, I am happy to hear what other method you use for this task. E.g.
> I thought about using org-mode on emacs to create a metasystem which 
> enables me to keep all (exam, evaluation, scoring, solution sheet,
> etc.) in one file but to generate exam sheets from it.
> 
> Thanks for comments, solutions and ideas
> 
> Torsten
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor Steven J Schwartz        Phone:  +44 (0)207 594 7660
Head, Space & Atmospheric Physics  Fax:    +44 (0)207 594 7772
The Blackett Laboratory            Email:  s.schwartz at imperial.ac.uk
Imperial College London            Office: Huxley 6M67A
London SW7 2AZ, UK                 Web:    www.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~sjs
--------------------------------------------------------------------