Guide to writing good quiz questions for the quiz factory

Question

For those of you who have had quiz submissions turned down…

Please don’t get discouraged. Since there currently isn’t a way for SoloLearn reviewers to leave feedback on quiz submissions that they downvote (which is a real bummer), here are some of the reasons that I have downvoted quiz submissions. Hopefully you can compare yours to this list to get an idea of what the problem might have been.

1) Typos. Did you test your code EXACTLY as it is written? Don’t expect challengers to have to interpret incorrectly typed code, unless finding the error itself is the question.

2) Unclear questions. This also includes just posting a code statement without a question at all and assuming everyone will know what you’re asking. Time will be wasted trying to figure out what the implied question is. Make sure your question is clear and specific.

3) Don’t make your question too long or time consuming to figure out! Remember there is a very short time limit. Sadly, I had to turn down some great questions I liked because there were just too many lines of code manipulation or expressions to evaluate for a normal mind to process and keep track of in the given time limit. I think those questions only benefit the people who have seen that question before and already know the answer. Try shortening those or splitting them up into two separate questions.

4) If your question involves math, make the numbers small so users don’t feel like they need to break out a calculator! Test on concepts, not large mental calculations.

Below are some more tips that wouldn’t fit on this original post.

Please feel free to leave your own comments if you disagree, agree, or have additional tips of your own to add.

Answer 1

5) Don’t make your question super easy. Some easy question are okay, but I think there should be more intermediate/advanced questions than easy ones. By easy questions, I’m talking about basic commands that are used constantly that almost every beginner already has a handle on. I really appreciate questions that help me jog my memory, or even teach me something new and useful after I go back and research it more. In my own opinion, it’s okay if the question is not taught in the SoloLearn lessons, because every language has so much more we can and should learn! And while intermediate/advanced questions are good, try to make useful questions that are designed to test, review, and teach, rather than unhelpful ones where you feel like you need access to an ASCII conversion table to get the right answer.

6) If your question was denied, and AFTER you’ve honestly reexamined your question with all these suggestions, if you still feel like you wrote a good, useful question then try submitting it again. Remember that these questions are graded by random people in the community and everyone has different opinions and levels of experience. You might get reviewers who understand and appreciate your question the second time. But if it continues to get denied then you’ll have to take a real hard look at it and try to understand why the community does not want that to be a challenge question.

Finally, THANK YOU for working to write new quiz questions for us! We really do appreciate you and your thoughtful, hard work for all of our fun and learning!

Answer 2

How long it takes for pending question to be reviewed?