--- title: "How To: Authoring an Adaptive Assessment" description: Adaptive assessments enable you to build branching or multiple activity-based assessments using existing course activities. Before using adaptive assessments, define activities from existing assessments or create new ones in the Content Manager. --- [Skip to content](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/authoring-an-adaptive-assessment#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [File a Support Ticket](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) [Customer Portal](https://support.atomicjolt.com/tickets-view?hsLang=en) ![Atomic Jolt Logo Horiz Small](https://support.atomicjolt.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Atomic%20Jolt%20Logo%20Horiz%20Small.png?width=260&height=95&name=Atomic%20Jolt%20Logo%20Horiz%20Small.png) - [Release Notes Sign Up](https://share.hsforms.com/1iZCRfUF5QHeWYwcLC3bwEAdk6gc) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Release Notes Sign Up](https://share.hsforms.com/1iZCRfUF5QHeWYwcLC3bwEAdk6gc) - English Show submenu for translations - [File a Support Ticket](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/kb-tickets/new) - [Customer Portal](https://support.atomicjolt.com/tickets-view) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Atomic Jolt Knowledge Base](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase?hsLang=en) 2. [Atomic Assessments](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/atomic-assessments?hsLang=en) 3. [Adaptive Assessments](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/atomic-assessments?hsLang=en#adaptive-assessments) # How To: Authoring an Adaptive Assessment ## Adaptive assessments enable you to build branching or multiple activity-based assessments using existing course activities. Before using adaptive assessments, define activities from existing assessments or create new ones in the Content Manager. ### **Why Use Adaptive Assessments?** Adaptive assessments are particularly useful in personalized learning environments and for diagnostic testing. For example, in a language course, an adaptive assessment can direct students to different difficulty levels based on their performance in an initial diagnostic test. A student scoring high in basic vocabulary may skip foundational exercises and proceed directly to more advanced grammar sections. **Key components of adaptive assessments include**: - **Sections**: The main grouping units within the assessment - **Activities**: Individual learning tasks within sections - **Branching Logic** (optional): Rules for branching based on activity scores - **Adaptive Reporting** --- ### Authoring an Adaptive Assessment 1. Click on the **New Assessment** dropdown menu and select **New Adaptive Assessment**. 2. Enter a name for the assessment, then click **Next** to begin building. ### Step 1: Add Sections Sections group activities. Each adaptive assessment requires at least one section. ![](https://support.atomicjolt.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-05-01%20at%2010-05-31%E2%80%AFAM-png.png?width=326&height=377&name=Screenshot%202025-05-01%20at%2010-05-31%E2%80%AFAM-png.png) **Grading Scale (optional)**: Define a grading scale for each section to support advanced grading options. You can create grading scales [using this guide](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/grading-scales?hsLang=en). - **Section Scoring** - **Points Possible:** By default, section scores will reflect the total points possible across all activities within it. You can override this by specifying a different point value for the section, which will scale across activities without needing to change the individual activity points. - **Section Weight**: Allows weighting each section as a percentage of the total score instead of using point values. - **Confirmation Prompt**: Enable a prompt for students before leaving each step, adding a confirmation message at the end of each activity. - **Allow Instructors to Omit Sections**: Grant instructors the option to exclude specific sections from the assessment. Instructors can set this in the **Adaptive Options** under the **assessment level settings gear**. ### Step 2: Add Activities 1. Click the **Add Content** button to open a menu of your course’s activities. 2. Select an activity to add it to the section. When an activity is added the following information is displayed under the activity title, including: - **Activity Reference ID**: Use this ID to locate and edit the activity in the Content Manager. - **Number of Questions**: Shows the total number of questions in the activity. - **Total Points Possible**: Displays the total points available for the activity. ![Screenshot 2025-05-21 at 12.35.32 PM](https://support.atomicjolt.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-05-21%20at%2012.35.32%20PM.png?width=613&height=316&name=Screenshot%202025-05-21%20at%2012.35.32%20PM.png) For each activity added, you can: - Set a time limit. - Choose the number of questions to include (defaults to all). - By default, questions are shown in the order they appear in the activity. If you specify showing only a subset (e.g., 5 out of 25 questions), the questions will be used in activity order unless you enable **Randomize Question Order**. - Define the next step for students after completing the activity. You can continue to add additional activities to the section or you can add branching logic. ### Step 3: Add Branching Logic (Optional) To define branching based on cut scores, click **Add Branching Logic** under the desired activity. Branching logic can be configured individually for each activity, allowing flexibility across activities. Branching conditions are based on: - **Score Comparison**: Greater than or equal to, less than, or equal to specified scores - **Score Type**: Use either percentage or points as the score metric - **Go to**: Specify where students go next based on their score: - **Next Section** - **End Assessment** - **Another Section** - **Another Activity** within the current section --- ### Editing adaptive assessments Adaptive assessments are marked with a unique icon in the assessment list for easy identification. ![Screenshot 2025-05-01 at 10.16.21 AM](https://support.atomicjolt.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-05-01%20at%2010.16.21%20AM.png?width=341&height=114&name=Screenshot%202025-05-01%20at%2010.16.21%20AM.png) - **Editing an Adaptive Assessment:** Click **Edit Adaptive Configuration** within the adaptive assessment. - **Reordering Sections and Activities**: Click the **Re-order** button to change the sequence of sections and activities within the assessment. - **Editing Sections and Activities**: Use the **Edit** (pencil) icon to modify section settings or replace an activity. To remove an activity from the assessment, click the **X** icon. - **Editing Activity Content**: Activity content cannot be edited directly in the adaptive configuration settings. To change questions or other activity content, go to **Content Manager**. ### Adaptive Scoring Style In Adaptive style assessment you have the option of scoring by: - **Sum of Item Scores** - **Sum of section grade scaled/scores** - **Highest section grade scale/score (percent)** ![Screenshot 2025-10-27 at 10.37.02 AM](https://support.atomicjolt.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-10-27%20at%2010.37.02%20AM.png?width=670&height=582&name=Screenshot%202025-10-27%20at%2010.37.02%20AM.png)   - [Atomic Jolt Customer FAQs](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/atomic-jolt-customer-faqs?hsLang=en) - [Atomic Assessments](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/atomic-assessments?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Release Notes](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/atomic-assessments?hsLang=en#release-notes) - [Authoring Assessments](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/atomic-assessments?hsLang=en#authoring-assessments) - [For Nursing](https://support.atomicjolt.com/knowledgebase/atomic-assessments?hsLang=en#for-nursing) - 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