Extend Test Time or Availability of a Quiz for a Student in Moodle

If you use the quiz activity in Moodle, you will likely encounter a situation where a student needs extra time to take a quiz that you have created. This could happen if they were out sick the day the quiz was available in Moodle and they can no longer access it. It is also possible that there is a student enrolled in your course with a physical, mental, or emotional impairment who needs extra time to complete your tests as part of classroom accommodations. Providing this extended access is a quick and easy process in Moodle. For information beyond this article, please visit Moodle documentation here.

1. Navigate to the course containing your quiz. Click on that quiz to open it.

2. Select the menu "More", and click "Overrides".

3. Click "Add user override".

4. Select any necessary override settings.

  • Please note: If you are extending the test time or availability for a student who has already attempted the Quiz, and the Quiz is currently set to only allow one attempt, you will need to increase the number of attempts allowed to at least two.
  • Override user: Select the student(s) from the list, or search for them if they do not appear. You must select at least one user.
  • Require password: You can require students to enter a password to open the test. This option is typically not necessary.
  • Open the quiz and Close the quiz: These settings allow you to control when the student(s) will have access to the test, and how much time they will have to complete it.
  • Time limit: if necessary, set a time limit for the quiz. This will only go into effect once the student opens the quiz.
  • Attempts allowed: You can also limit the number of test attempts.

5. Click the "Save" at the bottom of the page.

6. You will be redirected back to the overrides page. All overrides and the override settings for the quiz will listed on this page.

  • You can edit, copy, or delete an override using the icons in the Action column on the far right.

7. "Will I have to do this for every Quiz I give in Moodle?"

If it is for a student with documented classroom accommodations, yes. User Overrides for a quiz will not transfer between other quizzes, or if you duplicate a quiz. It is worth noting that each quiz comes with different settings (the dates and times it is available, as well as the time limit for an attempt), and each student may have different needs for accommodations. It would actually be the same amount of work if you had to modify a copy of an override rather than building a new one for each Quiz, so this is not as large a downside as it may seem.

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