This guide explains how to set up and grade a Crowdmark assessment where only the best 2 out of 3 question scores count toward the final grade. The same approach can be used for any "best N out of X" question format.
This workflow applies applies to both Administered Assessments (paper-based) and Assigned Assessments (digital submission) in Crowdmark. It works whether students:
- answer all questions, or
- answer only a subset of questions.
For illustration, this guide uses an example assessment worth 50 points total, where 20 points are allocated to a choice-based section (best 2 of 3 questions, 10 points each). You can download a sample booklet from this assessment for reference.
Before you begin
Crowdmark does not automatically drop the lowest score, but you can achieve this by combining two main steps:
- Ensure the lowest score or unanswered question is given a score of 0 for each student.
- Mark one question as 'bonus' at the assessment level after grading is complete.
Important: All questions must be graded for every student before applying the bonus setting.
Jump to
- Create three questions (e.g., Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q1a, Q1b, Q1c).
- Assign equal marks to each question (e.g., 10 marks each).
In our example assessment, this is implemented as Section B with three questions (Q3–Q5), each worth 10 points, where only the best 2 of 3 are counted.
Include clear instructions for students, such as:
- "Answer all 3 questions." or "Answer any 2 of the following 3 questions."
- "Only your best 2 scores will count toward your final mark."
Before grading begins, ensure that all student submissions are available in Crowdmark:
- Administered assessments: Scan and upload all exams, then match booklets.
- Assigned assessments: Submissions appear automatically in Crowdmark.
Then:
- Grade all three questions for every student, regardless of whether they answered all the questions or only a subset of the questions.
- Enter scores as usual (e.g., grade each question out of 10).
For detailed grading instructions, refer to the Grading in Crowdmark section of our Administered Assessment guide.
Do not skip grading any question. The "best 2 of 3" calculation depends on all three scores being present.
At this stage, the total for these questions will appear out of 30 (if each question is worth 10), even though only 20 marks will ultimately count towards the total points for the assessment.
After grading, complete the following step for each student individually to ensure that only two scores contribute to each student's final total. Note: The view shown in the screenshot includes only the choice-based section (3 questions) of the example assessment, where students receive marks out of 10 for each question.
- If the student answered 2 of 3 questions: Ensure the unanswered question is assigned 0.
- If the student answered all 3 questions: Identify their lowest score and change it to 0.
Use the overview grid to compare scores across questions and identify the lowest score for each student.
After all grading is complete for all students:
- From the assessment landing page, select Questions.
- Select Label questions.
- Choose any one of the three choice-based questions. In our example, we selected question Q4.
- Select the Bonus option.
- Save.
Important:
- This is applied once at the question level (for all students).
- It must be done after all grading is complete.
- It does not matter which question is marked as 'bonus'.
In our example, each question in the choice-based section of the assessment is worth 10 points, and this section should be worth 20 points total (best 2 of 3).
- Student 1 answered 2 of the 3 questions, receiving scores of 10 and 8. The unanswered question is assigned 0, resulting in a total of 18.
- Student 2 answered all 3 questions, receiving scores of 10, 9, and 7. After grading, the lowest score (7) is changed to 0, resulting in a total of 19.
After one question is marked as Bonus, Crowdmark:
- removes the extra possible points (from 30 → 20), and
- keeps the earned scores.
On the Label questions page, the assessment may still appear to be out of the full total (e.g., 60 points) even after the above steps are completed.
However, once the bonus question is selected and saved, Crowdmark will calculate final grades correctly based on the adjusted total (e.g., 50 points overall, with 20 from the choice-based section).