How Effective is Using AI to Generate Test Questions for Studying? — My Review
With the rise in AI, many AI-powered tools have been created to solve problems. One of the applications of AI I found is generating test questions from notes. These can be used by teachers to generate tests, students for studying, or employers for creating training modules. As a former student, I wish I had this back when I was in school.
In this post, I'll look at some AI tools for generating test questions from notes and evaluate their effectiveness. I'll solely focus on the usefulness of these apps for students, but other users may benefit from this article.
How Using AI to Generate Test Questions Works
Uploading Content and Generating Questions
To start, users can upload notes in the format of their choice if the app offers it. It can be text, documents, images, or links. The app will then analyze the content and generate questions with it. These apps can generate different types of questions such as multiple-choice questions, true or false questions, and open-ended questions.
Keep in mind that there might be a limit to how many documents you can upload and there could be issues with how the app scans your content. Be sure to optimize your notes such that the app can get as much information as possible and that they are easy to scan.
After generating your questions, you may have the option to customize your test further. This could include editing the number of questions, adding a description, or editing the questions themselves to reword them or change some answers.
Testing
Once the content has been uploaded and the test questions have been generated, it can be used as practice. The app will take the information and reformulate it as questions.
The feedback is given instantly, immediately letting you know if your answer was correct or incorrect. When you've finished the test, you may go back and review your answers, try the test again, or generate another test. It's a straightforward process that handles the work for you. All you have to do is study and practice.
Benefits and Limitations of Using AI to Generate Practice Tests
Benefits
After trying some of these tools, here are a few advantages I have found with studying by using AI-generated tests from notes.
- Speed and efficiency: You can create tests within seconds. Each test can have tons of questions ready to be used for studying. All you have to do is insert your notes and let the app do the rest of the work.
- Comprehensiveness: The tools are good at creating tests that cover everything topic in your notes.
- Instant Feedback: As you answer questions, the app tells you if you answered correctly or incorrectly.
- Unlimited Usage: You can create as many tests as you need to. This is if you have the subscription for this, however.
Limitations
Although these apps are useful, they do have a few problems.
- Cost: These services are not completely free. They'll unlock most of their features behind a paid plan and users will need to get a paid subscription to use the app to its full potential. Students usually don't have a lot of income, so they will have to consider the impact on their financials and determine if they can afford a subscription or if purchasing a subscription is worth it for them.
- Inability to Create Questions with Mixed Question Types: Most apps from what I see only let you pick one type of question for testing. You are unable to have your tests contain a mixture of question types.
- Answering Open-Ended Questions: Closed questions such as multiple choice questions or true or false questions are fine as there's only one correct answer. For open-ended questions, however, the test may not evaluate your answers properly. The AI may not have the same reading abilities that a human grader would. At least if it was a real test that was graded by a human, the grader could at least try to understand your answer or at least provide partial marks if your answer wasn't perfect but was somewhat reasonable.
- Possible Lack of Quality: While the apps I've tried have been pretty good at generating questions, it's not always guaranteed that they will be perfect. You may have to manually check the questions for their accuracy.
Should I Pay for AI Test Generators?
As expected, these services will not be completely free. To unlock features and have unlimited access to their products, you will need to pay a subscription fee. Prices will vary and there could be different tiers, but most appear to be charging a minimum of $10 a month.
With an annual cost of $120 per year, it sounds expensive, but students spend thousands of dollars a year to attend classes. With the high cost of classes and the impact that grades can have on one's future depending on their goals, that subscription sounds like a drop in the bucket that can provide a great return on investment. This is especially the case for those who use practice tests as part of their studying routine.
However, it may not always be the most effective way to study. Techniques such as flashcards, using textbook questions for practice, and teaching others are other methods that may be cheaper and more effective.
If you are unsure if purchasing a subscription to these services is worth it, they will offer a free version of their app that you can try out. It will be limited in features, but it will give you an idea of what it offers. You can take that opportunity to see if this tool is beneficial to you.
Examples
Here are a few examples of AI test generators.
For more examples, check out this article by Thinkific.
Conclusion
All in all, AI-generated tests are a tool one can add to their set of techniques for studying. They can quickly generate tests, provide instant feedback, and can be used as often as you want. However, it is a paid service that relies on AI so it may not always be perfect.
I wouldn't solely rely on AI-generated tests, but they can certainly help if you need to simulate testing. However, other studying methods can just be as or more effective. Every student has a different way of learning so whether AI-generated tests are useful will be up to you to decide.