Long Answer

A Long Answer question gives candidates a large text area to write an extended response — a paragraph, an essay, a structured analysis, or any open-ended written answer. Two input styles are available: plain text area (multi-line text) and rich text editor (formatted text with headings, lists, and inline styling).

Writing the Question

Write your question prompt using the content editor. Use sidebar layout to display a reading passage, case study, or reference material alongside the response field. See Content Editor and Layout.

Input Style

• Text area — a plain multi-line input. Simpler for candidates and easier to read for reviewers. Best for most open-ended questions.
• Rich text editor — candidates can format their response with headings, bold/italic, lists, and more. Best for structured written tasks where formatting matters (e.g. reports, proposals).

Virtual Keyboard

Enable an on-screen virtual keyboard for assessments requiring special characters not available on standard keyboards.

AI Evaluation

Enable AI evaluation to automatically score extended responses. Provide a grading prompt that describes what a good answer looks like, what key points to look for, and how to handle partial responses. The AI returns a score and feedback. See AI Evaluation.

Rubric Scoring

Attach a rubric to evaluate responses against multiple criteria consistently across all candidates. Particularly valuable for essay-style questions where different reviewers might otherwise apply different standards. See Rubric Scoring.

For high-stakes written assessments, combining AI evaluation (for speed) with a rubric (for structured human review) gives you the best of both worlds.

Tip

Scoring

Set the point value using the positive multiplier and assign dimensions for competency-based reporting. See Scoring — Multipliers & Dimensions.

Common Features

Long Answer questions also support: Hint, Answer Explanations, Folder & Tags, Preview & Scoring Simulation, and three save modes (Save / Save & Close / Save & Add Another).