Tabular

A Tabular question presents the candidate with a table to fill in. You design the grid — which cells are fixed content and which are editable — and the candidate completes the editable cells. It is the right tool whenever the answer naturally has rows and columns: accounting worksheets, verb conjugation tables, lab result sheets, schedules, comparison matrices.

Building the Table

The table designer lets you add rows and columns freely and configure every cell individually. Each cell has one of four kinds:

• Fixed — read-only content you author (text, numbers). Use for prompts, given values, and headers inside the grid. Fixed cells can have their own background color.
• Text field — a single-line input the candidate fills in.
• Text area — a multi-line input for longer cell answers.
• Empty — a blank cell, useful for spacing and shaping irregular tables.

Headers and Styling

• Row and column names — each row and column can carry a header label with its own background color.
• Axis titles — an overall title for the rows axis and the columns axis, with a configurable title background color.

Display Options

• Show index — display a row index column.
• Hide automatic labels — suppress the spreadsheet-style A, B, C column and 1, 2, 3 row labels when your own headers are enough.
• Vertical column headers — rotate column headers vertically to fit wide tables with many narrow columns.

Scoring

Tabular answers are not auto-scored — a reviewer evaluates the completed table. Attach a rubric to make that evaluation structured and consistent across reviewers (see Rubric Scoring), or score manually. The question's multiplier and dimensions apply as with any other question (see Scoring).

Design tip: give every editable cell an unambiguous location — clear row and column headers — so reviewers can reference cells when grading and candidates never wonder which cell asks for what.

Tip