Retaking and Reopening a Quiz Attempt

Instructors may encounter situations where they need to grant students permission to retake a quiz, or reopen a quiz attempt that was interrupted. If the number of attempts in a quiz is already set to unlimited, the students can retake the quiz as many times as desired until the end date. However, if they have maxed out their attempts on a quiz the instructor will have to step in to grant them the ability to attempt or access the quiz again. This can be done by granting the student Special Access to the quiz, deleting a previous attempt, or reopening a previous attempt for the student to continue.

Manage Special Access

Students can be granted special access to quizzes, where modifications such as granting additional attempts can be done even after the due/end date for the quiz has passed.

Step 1: Begin editing the quiz

Click the drop-down arrow next to the quiz name, and click Edit at the top of the sub-menu.

Step 2: Click Manage Special Access

Manage Special Access is found within the Availability Dates and Submissions sub-menu on the right-hand side of the assignment editor.

Step 3: Click Add Users to Special Access

Keep Allow selected users special access to this quiz selected. This will make sure that all other students can still see the quiz, while the students granted special access will have custom settings applied.

Step 4: Click Override attempts allowed

Once the Override attempts allowed box is checked, instructors will have the ability to change how many attempts any particular student has. Read more about Manage Special Access in this article: Accommodations and Exceptions

Step 5: Add users to the special access

At the bottom of the menu, instructors will have the ability to choose who to grant the special access options too by selecting the box to the left of the student’s name.

Step 6 - Save and close the quiz

The student now has special access to the quiz with any options granted to them by the instructor.

Deleting A Quiz Attempt

While less preferable than giving a student another chance to attempt the quiz through special access, instructors may find deleting the student’s previous quiz attempt to be more favourable.

Step 1: Enter the Grade section of the quiz

Click the drop-down arrow next to the quiz name and select Grade.

Step 2: Locate the student

Search for or scroll to the student who’s attempt is to be deleted.

Step 3: Reset the attempt

Select the attempt by clicking the checkbox on the left-hand side. Then scroll up to the top of the list of students and click the Delete button (the trash can icon). Select Yes to confirm the reset. The student will now have the ability to retake the quiz.

Reopening a Quiz Attempt

If students don’t need to fully re-attempt a quiz and instead need only pick up where they left off, instructors can reopen an old attempt. This will allow the student to continue that very same attempt even if the quiz end date has passed.

Step 1: Enter the Grade section of the quiz

Click the drop-down arrow next to the quiz name and select Grade.

Step 2: Locate the student

Search for or scroll to the student who’s attempt is to be reopened.

Step 3: Reopen the attempt

Select the attempt to be reopened by clicking the checkbox on the left-hand side. Then scroll up to the top of the list of students and select the Reopen button (spiral arrow icon).

If the quiz end date has passed, a pop-up window will appear asking to have a new end date for the student set. Choose a new end date and then select Continue.

A confirmation window will appear stating the student’s attempt will be returned to an unsubmitted state, and displaying the new end date if it was changed. Select Reopen Attempt to confirm.

The student can now continue the quiz from that attempt.