Examination question creation support system and method

Abstract

To provide an examination question creation support system for supporting creation of examination questions with adjustable difficulty levels.SOLUTION: Provided is an examination question creation support system for supporting questions in a mock examination simulating a real examination, including multiple-choice questions that require a student to select a correct answer from a prescribed number of options described in each sentence, and the system includes: an option sentence management unit that when a learning item related to an option sentence, the sentence describing an option, is an item to be mastered in order to pass a real examination, associates identification information of the learning item with the option sentence and stores them as option sentence management data; and a question creation unit that extracts option sentences from the option sentence management data so as to include option sentences, the number of which is determined according to a required first difficulty level and to which the identification information is not added, and creates questions including options based on each of the extracted option sentences.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for assisting in creating test questions.

Background Art

[0002] In preparatory schools that provide exam guidance for qualification exams such as national exams, there is an operation of creating questions for mock exams based on the questions (hereinafter referred to as "past questions") that have been set in this exam. In creating questions for mock exams, preparatory school teachers create questions with reference to past questions, or modify a part of the past questions to create questions similar to the past questions.

[0003] Creating questions for mock exams is a very laborious task. In addition, the quality of the questions for mock exams depends on the experience, ability, and effort of preparatory school teachers, and it is difficult to transfer them to other preparatory school teachers.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to support the work of creating test questions by a system in order to reduce the workload and ensure the quality.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a question creation support system including a storage unit that holds text data of a plurality of existing question sentences, a classification unit that groups existing question sentences by field, an analysis unit that identifies, from the conclusion part of the existing question sentences, a part that can be changed as a variable part, prompts the input of alternative text that can be inserted into the variable part instead of the original text of the variable part, and associates the original text and the alternative text with the variable part when the alternative text is input, a creation unit that selects a predetermined number of existing question sentences from a designated field, and selects, as the text of the variable part of the selected existing question sentences, one of the original text or the alternative text associated with the variable part such that any one of the selected existing question sentences becomes the correct answer option and the rest become incorrect answer options. This makes it possible to easily create questions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] One of the purposes of a mock test is for the test taker to know where they stand among all the test takers and what the probability is of passing. Therefore, it is required that the mock test be created such that the score distribution is somewhat dispersed. Also, since the mock test is a test assuming the actual test, it is desirable that it be created to have a similar level of difficulty to the actual test. However, in the problem creation support system of Patent Document 1, giving an appropriate level of difficulty to the problems is not considered when creating the problems.

[0008] One object included in the present disclosure is to provide a technique for assisting in creating test problems with adjustable difficulty.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] A test problem creation support system according to one aspect included in the present disclosure is a test problem creation support system for assisting in creating problems for a mock test that mimics an actual test including multiple-choice questions in which a correct answer option is selected from a predetermined number of options each described by a sentence. The system includes an option sentence management unit that, for an option sentence that is a sentence describing an option, if the learning item related to the option sentence is an item to be acquired in order to pass the actual test, associates identification information of the learning item with the option sentence and stores it as option sentence management data, and a problem creation unit that extracts the option sentences of the number of options so that the number of option sentences without the identification information added is included according to the required first level of difficulty, and creates a problem including options based on each of the extracted option sentences.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a test question creation support system that supports questions for a mock test simulating a test including a multiple-choice question in which a correct answer is selected from a predetermined number of options each described by a sentence, for an option sentence that is a sentence describing an option, if the learning item related to the option sentence is an item to be acquired in order to pass the present test, associates identification information of the learning item with the option sentence and stores it as option sentence management data in an option sentence management unit, and extracts the option sentences of the number of options from the option sentence management data so that the option sentences not added with the identification information include a number determined according to a required first difficulty level, and a question creation unit that creates a question including an option based on each of the extracted option sentences.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0011]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] In this embodiment, a computer system that supports the creation of questions (multiple-choice questions) in a format where the correct answer is selected from a plurality of options is exemplified.

[0014] In this embodiment, the range in which questions can be presented in this test (question range) is classified into a classification consisting of a plurality of hierarchies in an inclusion relationship. Note that the classification here only needs to be able to classify the question range in a hierarchical structure, and any classification system can be appropriately selected in consideration of the question range and the content of the test. In this embodiment, as an example, a four-level classification system of major classification, medium classification, minor classification, and detailed classification is used. As a specific example, in the case of a test related to law such as the real estate broker qualification test, it may be classified into a hierarchy corresponding to the hierarchy of laws included in the question range. In that case, one of the major classifications is "General Civil Law", one of the medium classifications included in the major classification of "General Civil Law" is "General Provisions of the Civil Law", one of the minor classifications included in the medium classification of "General Provisions of the Civil Law" is "Expression of Intent", and one of the detailed classifications included in the minor classification of "Expression of Intent" is "Fraud", and such a classification system can be considered.

[0015] A multiple-choice question contains a predetermined number of options. The number of options included in one question is hereinafter referred to as the number of branches. The number of branches is not particularly limited, but is typically 4 or 5. For example, in the real estate broker licensing exam, the number of branches is 4. Each option is described in text. Hereinafter, the text of the option will be referred to as the option text. One correct option is included among the options of the number of branches. The examinee reads the option text and determines whether the content is correct or incorrect. The correct option is the option that makes the question correct when it is selected. Options other than the correct option are incorrect options. In a multiple-choice question, there are cases where the option with the correct content becomes the correct option and cases where the option with the incorrect content becomes the correct option.

[0016] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the processing configuration of the test question creation support system.

[0017] Referring to Figure 1, the test question creation support system 10 has a storage unit 11, an analysis unit 12, a learning item management unit 13, an option text management unit 14, and a question creation unit 15.

[0018] The storage unit 11 holds various data used in the test question creation support system 10. The data held in the storage unit 11 includes data on questions that have been asked in past actual tests. In addition, the data held in the storage unit 11 includes text data of option texts extracted from existing questions. The existing questions here include questions (past questions) that have been asked in the past actual test a predetermined number of times. However, the existing questions are not limited to past questions. For example, it may include questions asked in past mock tests, expected questions that have never been asked, etc. Also, not only pre-prepared data but also data generated by the test question creation support system 10 executing processing may be recorded in the storage unit 11.

[0019] The analysis unit 12 classifies the options of past questions for a predetermined number of times in the past into the above-described classifications, associates the classifications with the learning items, and counts the number of question options presented for each test session and each learning item. The number of question options for each test session and learning item represents the question tendency of past tests of this kind. It can be said that learning items with a large number of question options are those that are frequently presented in past tests of this kind.

[0020] The learning item management unit 13 adds identification information for identifying items to be acquired in order to pass this test to the learning items included in the question range of this test, and stores it as learning item management data. In this embodiment, this identification information is called boxID. For example, when the test question creation support system 10 is linked with a lecture providing system (not shown) that provides lectures to the examinees, it is conceivable that the lecture providing system configures the lectures so as to cover the learning items to which boxID is assigned.

[0021] The option sentence management unit 14 creates a template of option sentences for creating questions for the mock test from the existing questions stored in the storage unit 11, and manages it as option sentence management data.

[0022] The question creation unit 15 creates questions with a difficulty level according to the request. In this embodiment, there are a discrimination difficulty level and a range difficulty level as the difficulty levels of questions. The discrimination difficulty level is the difficulty level set for a question by adjusting the difficulty level for discriminating whether each option is correct or not. The range difficulty level is the difficulty level set for a question by adjusting the classification range of the learning items related to each option. The details of the process of creating questions with a discrimination difficulty level or a range difficulty level according to the request will be described later.

[0023] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the test question creation support system. Referring to Figure 2, the test question creation support system 10, the processor 21, the main memory 22, the storage device 23, the input device 24, and the display device 25 are configured by a computer interconnected via a bus 26.

[0024] The memory device 23 stores data in a writable and readable manner, and the memory unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by this memory device 23. The processor 21 is a processor that reads the data stored in the memory device 23 into the main memory 22 and executes the processing of the software program using the main memory 22. The analysis unit 12, learning item management unit 13, option sentence management unit 14, and question creation unit 15 shown in FIG. 1 are realized by the processor 21. The input device 24 is a device that receives information from operations input by an operator, such as a keyboard or a mouse. The information input from the input device 24 is used by the processor 21 for software processing. For example, various data such as past exam questions are input into the memory device 23 via the input device 24. The display device 25 is a device that displays image and text information on the display screen in accordance with the software processing by the processor 21.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the overall processing of the test question creation support system.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 3, the test question creation support system 10 executes question tendency analysis processing by the analysis unit 12 (step 101). The question tendency analysis processing is a process of tabulating each option of the questions presented in past actual tests for each learning item and each test session. The details of the question tendency analysis processing will be described later.

[0027] Next, the test question creation support system 10 executes learning item management processing by the learning item management unit 13 (step 102). The learning item management processing is a process of adding identification information (boxID) to the learning items to be acquired in order to pass the actual test based on the number of times or frequency of questions presented in past actual tests for each learning item. The details of the learning item management processing will be described later.

[0028] Next, the test question creation support system 10 executes a multiple-choice sentence data creation process by the multiple-choice sentence management unit 14 (step 103). The multiple-choice sentence data creation process is a process of generating a template for the multiple-choice sentences for creating questions. When the multiple-choice sentence data creation process is performed, questions can be created based on the multiple-choice sentences stored in the database. The details of the multiple-choice sentence data creation process will be described later.

[0029] Next, the test question creation support system 10 executes a question creation process by the question creation unit 15 (step 104). The question creation process is a process of creating questions by extracting the multiple-choice sentences of the number of choices from the database of the multiple-choice sentence management data and selecting the words at the variable parts of each multiple-choice sentence. The details of the question creation process will be described later.

[0030] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the question tendency analysis process. As described above, the question tendency analysis process is a process of aggregating each multiple-choice option of the questions presented in past examinations of this test for each learning item and each test session.

[0031] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the test question data of past examinations of this test. The test question data 30 in Figure 5 is, as an example, the data of the questions of the real estate broker qualification examination. This test is an examination conducted once a year, and 50 four-choice questions in which the correct option is selected from four options are presented. The test question data 30 includes the data of the questions of each test from 2010 to 2023 (test question data 31 for each test session).

[0032] The test question data 31 for each test session includes the question text of each question, the multiple-choice sentence of each multiple-choice option included in the question, the information indicating the correct option of the question, and the explanatory text regarding each multiple-choice option. The question text is the common part in the question, for example, a sentence instructing to select the correct option from among a plurality of multiple-choice options.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a problem for each test. FIG. 6 shows the problems in 2023. Looking at the exemplified question 17, the test question 32 includes a problem statement 33 common to a plurality of options and an option statement 34 for each of the four options.

[0034] In FIG. 4, in step 201, the analysis unit 12 selects one problem from the test question data 31 for each test session as the object to be processed.

[0035] Subsequently, in step 202, the analysis unit 12 performs morphological analysis on the problem statement 33 and the option statement 34 of each problem 32 in the test question data 31 for each test session, and extracts morphemes. Some morphemes are words as they are, while some are words formed by combining a plurality of consecutive words.

[0036] In step 203, the analysis unit 12 combines a plurality of consecutive morphemes as necessary and extracts words. When combining morphemes, a dictionary in the specialized field of this test may be used to generate specialized terms. Since specialized terms are generally used in questions, it is effective to correctly extract the specialized terms in the specialized field using a dictionary in the specialized field.

[0037] In step 204, the analysis unit 12 classifies the option statement 34 into a plurality of learning items based on the words extracted from the problem statement 33 and the option statement 34. For example, for each learning item, words such as specialized terms that appear in the problems of that learning item may be associated, and the option statement 34 may be classified for each learning item according to which words corresponding to which learning item appear in the problem statement and the option statement. The analysis unit 12 may calculate the feature amount of the option statement from the words included in the problem statement of the problem including the option, the option statement of the option, and the explanatory statement of the option, and identify the learning item of the option statement based on the feature amount. The data of the learning item of each option is recorded as the test question analysis result.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the test question analysis results. In the test question analysis results 35, for each test session, the learning items 38 of each option are recorded in association with the question number 36 of each question and the option number 37 of the options included in that question.

[0039] In step 205, the analysis unit 12 determines whether there are any unprocessed questions remaining. If there are unprocessed questions remaining, the analysis unit 12 returns to step 201 and repeats the processing for the unprocessed questions.

[0040] If there are no unprocessed questions remaining in the determination of step 205, the analysis unit 12, in step 206, totals the number of option sentences 34 for each test session and each learning item based on the test question analysis results 35, creates and records the question-posing tendency data based on the total results.

[0041] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of the question-posing tendency data. In the question-posing tendency data 39, for each learning item 40 and each test session (test implementation year) 41, the total results of the questions and options that were posed are indicated by symbols. A ○ (circle) indicates a question in which all options are related to the learning item, and a △ (triangle) indicates a question in which one or more and three or fewer options are related to the learning item. For example, in this test in 2010, it is shown that one question in which all options are related to learning item A and one question in which one or more and three or fewer options are related to learning item A were posed.

[0042] Note that in this embodiment, as the question-posing tendency analysis process, a method of analyzing the question text and option text to classify the option text has been exemplified, but other methods are also possible. Another method may be a method that utilizes the judgment of the data registrant. For example, the analysis unit 12 may display the question text and option text on the screen and prompt the data registrant to specify or input the learning item to which the option text corresponds, thereby obtaining information on the learning item of the option text.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the learning item management process. As described above, the learning item management process is a process of adding identification information (boxID) to the learning items to be acquired in order to pass this test. Through the learning item management process, learning item management data is obtained.

[0044] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the learning item management data. In the present embodiment, as shown in the learning item management data 43 of FIG. 10, the learning items correspond to the sub-classifications in the classification system of the question range. In the learning item management data 43, identification information (boxID) is added to the learning items that should be acquired in order to pass this test.

[0045] In the example of FIG. 10, it can be seen that no boxID is added to the learning item with the major classification being "1", the middle classification being "2", the minor classification being "1", and the sub-classification being "2", and it does not correspond to the learning items that should be acquired in order to pass this test.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 9, the learning item management unit 13 selects one learning item to be processed (step 301). Then, the learning item management unit 13 refers to the question tendency data 39 and determines whether the selected learning item has been questioned in 3 or more of the last 5 tests (step 302). If the selected learning item has been questioned in 3 or more of the last 5 tests, the learning item management unit 13 assigns a boxID (identification information) to that learning item (step 303).

[0047] On the other hand, if the selected learning item has not been questioned in 3 or more of the last 5 tests, the learning item management unit 13 determines whether the number of times the learning item has been questioned in the last 5 tests is zero (step 304). If the number of times the learning item has been questioned in the last 5 tests is zero, the learning item management unit 13 refers to the learning item management data 43 and determines whether identification information has been added to that learning item (step 305). If identification information has been added to that learning item, the learning item management unit 13 deletes the identification information from that learning item (step 306).

[0048] After step 303 or step 306, or when no identification information is added to the learning item in the determination of step 305, the learning item management unit 13 determines whether there are any remaining unprocessed learning items (step 307). If there are remaining unprocessed learning items, the learning item management unit 13 returns to step 301, selects the next learning item, and repeats the process. If there are no remaining unprocessed learning items, the learning item management unit 13 ends the learning item management process.

[0049] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the alternative sentence data creation process. As described above, the alternative sentence data creation process is a process of generating a database of alternative sentences for creating questions. Specifically, various information is associated with the alternative sentences extracted from existing accumulated questions such as past questions, and a plurality of words are associated with the variable parts of each alternative sentence.

[0050] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing alternative sentence management data. In the alternative sentence management data 44, the template information 45, the exam session information 46, the classification information 47, the identification information 48, and the basis clause information 49 are registered in association with each other. The template information 45 is information serving as a template for creating the alternatives included in the multiple-choice questions. The template information 45 is created based on the alternatives of existing questions including past questions. The details of the template information 45 will be described later. The exam session information 46 is information indicating the latest exam session of the main exam in which the question that is the basis of the template information 45 was administered. When the main exam is held once a year, since the exam session and the exam year correspond one-to-one, the exam session may be indicated by the year in which the exam was held. The classification information 47 is information indicating the classification to which the alternative sentences created based on the template information 45 belong. In the example of FIG. 12, the classification information 47 represents the above-described four-level classification by four-digit numbers. The identification information 48 is information for identifying the learning item to which the alternative sentences created based on the template information 45 belong. The basis clause information 49 is information indicating the clause of the law serving as the basis for determining whether the alternative sentences created based on the template information 45 are correct or incorrect.

[0051] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing template information. The template information 50 includes an alternative sentence including a premise part 51 and a conclusion part 52, and a plurality of phrases 54, 55 that enter a variable part 53 included in the conclusion part 52. When one of the plurality of phrases enters the variable part 53, a correct sentence is formed, and when another phrase enters the variable part 53, an incorrect sentence is formed. There may be a plurality of variable parts 53.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 11, the alternative sentence management unit 14 selects one alternative sentence that has not yet undergone the following processing from the alternative sentences stored in the storage unit 11 (step 401). Next, the alternative sentence management unit 14 extracts the conclusion part from the selected alternative sentence (step 402). At this time, as an example, the alternative sentence management unit 14 detects predetermined expressions such as "in the case of" and "if" from the alternative sentence, and sets the part from the beginning of the alternative sentence to the predetermined expression as the premise part, and the part after the predetermined expression as the conclusion part. When the predetermined expression cannot be found, the alternative sentence management unit 14 may set the entire alternative sentence as the conclusion part.

[0053] Next, the alternative sentence management unit 14 identifies variable parts corresponding to a predetermined rule from the conclusion part (step 403). At this time, as an example, the alternative sentence management unit 14 may identify, as variable parts, parts corresponding to "who", "when" or "until when", "where", "what", "how" in the conclusion part. In addition, the alternative sentence management unit 14 may set, as variable parts, parts of specific expressions at the end of the sentence such as "there may be a case of ~", "there may be a case of ~", "there is no case of ~", "limited to ~", "limited to ~, do ~", "limited to ~, can ~", "can ~ regardless of presence or absence", "must immediately do ~", "can immediately do ~". In addition, the alternative sentence management unit 14 may set, as variable parts, parts of specific expressions in the sentence such as "always", "all", "necessarily", "or", "and". There may be a plurality of parts in the conclusion part that conform to the rule of the variable part. In that case, all corresponding parts may be set as variable parts.

[0054] Next, for each identified variable part, the option text management unit 14 executes a text registration process (step 404). The text registration process is a process of registering texts that can be inserted into each variable part. By performing the text registration process, it becomes possible to create an option text with correct content or an option text with incorrect content by selecting a text from the registered texts.

[0055] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the text registration process. In the text registration process, first, the option text management unit 14 displays the variable parts of the option text (step 501). If the original text of the variable part is not the correct text (No in step 502), it accepts the input of the correct text (step 503), sets the input text as the correct text, and associates the original text with the variable part as the incorrect text (step 504). When the original text of the variable part is correct (Yes in step 502), or after step 504, the option text management unit 14 displays similar words (including antonyms and synonyms) for the correct text of the variable part (step 505), and accepts the selection of the text to be registered by the data registrant (step 506).

[0056] At that time, as an example, the option text management unit 14 creates a thesaurus database in advance, searches the thesaurus database with the correct text to extract and display similar words.

[0057] The creation of the thesaurus database will be described.

[0058] Similar words are texts for misleading examinees into making mistakes by confusing them. Therefore, both antonyms with opposite meanings and synonyms with similar meanings are included in the similar words.

[0059] When there are parts in the option text that are replaced with words the test-taker has never remembered before, the test-taker will feel a strong sense of discomfort and make fewer mistakes. Therefore, for example, in a test that includes multiple subjects in a main exam such as a college entrance examination, similar words are extracted from the words that appear in the learning items of the same subject. Also, in a legal qualification exam such as a real estate broker qualification exam, similar words are extracted from the words that appear in the same law.

[0060] When there is a legal amendment, the knowledge about the law before the amendment and the knowledge about the law after the amendment are mixed in the test-taker's mind, making it easy to misunderstand. Therefore, the words after the legal amendment and the words before the legal amendment are regarded as similar words.

[0061] Returning to FIG. 14, the option text management unit 14 associates the selected word with the variable part as an incorrect word (step 507). Further, the option text management unit 14 accepts the input of an incorrect word by the data registrant (step 508), and associates the input word with the variable part as an incorrect word (step 509).

[0062] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the question creation process. The question creation unit 15 accepts the specification of the number of options (step 601), and further accepts the specification of the past question configuration, the discrimination difficulty configuration, and the range difficulty configuration (step 602).

[0063] The past question configuration specifies what percentage of the options created based on past questions are included in the mock test for the appearance times of those past questions in the main exam. For example, it may be possible to specify the percentage of options created from the questions in the main exam in the most recent 4 times, that is, from the previous 1 time to the previous 4 times, the percentage of options created from the questions in the main exam between the 5th time ago and the 7th time ago, and the percentage of options created from the questions in the main exam between the 8th time ago and the 10th time ago. By increasing the percentage of options created from the questions in the main exam in the most recent 4 times, that is, from the previous 1 time to the previous 4 times, a mock test closer to the most recent main exam can be created. By increasing the percentage of options created from the questions in the main exam between the 8th time ago and the 10th time ago, a mock test with many orthodox questions can be created.

[0064] The discrimination difficulty composition specifies how many questions of what degree of difficulty should be included in the mock test regarding the difficulty (discrimination difficulty) determined by the ratio of options that can be judged true or false if the learning items to be acquired to pass this test are acquired and options that cannot be judged. For example, the ratio of questions where the correct answer can be narrowed down to one option, the ratio of questions where it can be narrowed down to two options but it cannot be determined which of the two is the correct answer, the ratio of questions where it can be narrowed down to three options but it cannot be determined which of the three is the correct answer, and the ratio of questions where it cannot be determined which of the four is the correct answer can be specified, and the ratio of the four levels of difficulty can be specified as well.

[0065] If one option text without added identification information and three option texts with added identification information are included, or if four option texts with added identification information are included, questions can be constructed where the correct answer can be narrowed down to one option. If two option texts without added identification information and two option texts with added identification information are included, questions can be constructed where it can be narrowed down to two options but it cannot be determined which of the two is the correct answer. If three option texts without added identification information and one option text with added identification information are included, questions can be constructed where it can be narrowed down to three options but it cannot be determined which of the three is the correct answer. If four option texts without added identification information are included, questions can be constructed where it cannot be determined which of the four is the correct answer.

[0066] The range difficulty composition specifies how many questions of what difficulty levels are to be included in the mock test regarding the difficulty level (range difficulty) determined by the breadth of the fields of the options included in the question. For example, the ratio of questions where all options are within the range of the same subclassification, the ratio of questions where all options are not within the range of the same subclassification but are within the range of the same minor classification, the ratio of questions where all options are not within the range of the same minor classification but are within the range of the same medium classification, and the ratio of questions where all options are not within the range of the same medium classification but are within the range of the same major classification can be specified, and the ratio of the four levels of difficulty can be specified as well.

[0067] For example, assume that the question scope of the real estate broker qualification exam is divided into major classifications, medium classifications, minor classifications, and sub-classifications corresponding to the hierarchy of laws. As one of the major classifications, there is "General Civil Law". As one of the medium classifications included in the major classification of "General Civil Law", there is "General Provisions of the Civil Law". As one of the minor classifications included in the medium classification of "General Provisions of the Civil Law", there is "Declaration of Intention". As one of the sub-classifications included in the minor classification of "Declaration of Intention", there is "Fraud". Considering this case, from the lowest difficulty level, the order is: questions where all options are within the range of "Fraud" which is the same sub-classification, questions where all options are not within the range of the same sub-classification but are within the range of "Declaration of Intention" which is the same minor classification, questions where all options are not within the range of the same minor classification but are within the range of "General Provisions of the Civil Law" which is the same medium classification, and questions where all options are not within the range of the same medium classification but are within the range of "General Civil Law" which is the same major classification.

[0068] Returning to FIG. 15, in step 603, the question creation unit 15 determines the past question appearance times, classification, discrimination difficulty level, and range difficulty level for the next question to be created so that the values specified for the past question composition, discrimination difficulty composition, and range difficulty composition in the mock test are finally obtained.

[0069] In step 604, the question creation unit 15 extracts the specified number of option sentences from the option sentence management data 44 using the past question issue times, classification, determination difficulty level, and range difficulty level determined in step 603 as constraint conditions. Subsequently, in step 605, the question creation unit 15 determines the question type. Here, the question type refers to the type of question that allows the selection of an option with correct content or an option with incorrect content. The method for determining the question type is not particularly limited. It may be randomly determined whether to select an option with correct content or an option with incorrect content, or it may be determined so that the ratio of questions that allow the selection of an option with correct content and questions that allow the selection of an option with incorrect content in the mock test reaches a predetermined ratio.

[0070] In the case of an exam whose question range includes laws like the real estate broker qualification exam, if there is a revision to the relevant laws, it is necessary to deal with the mock exam after the revision. For example, there may be cases where the option sentences based on the pre-revision law cannot be directly used in the mock exam after the revision and need to be modified or deleted. Therefore, the option sentence management unit 14 may extract the option sentences based on the provisions requested by the data registrant from the option sentence management data 44 and display the template information 45 of the option sentences in an editable manner.

[0071] Also, immediately after the law is revised, there are similar words that are prone to confusion between the pre-revision and post-revision words, but the confusion disappears over time. Therefore, the option sentence management unit 14 may delete the words registered as similar words due to the law revision from the similar word database after a predetermined period (e.g., 2 years) has elapsed since the revision.

[0072] The present embodiment described above is an exemplification for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various other modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0073] The above-described present embodiment includes the following matters. However, the matters included in the present embodiment are not limited to only those shown below.

[0074] (Item 1) A test question creation support system for supporting questions of a mock test that imitates a test including multiple-choice questions in which a correct answer is selected from a predetermined number of options described in each article. For an option sentence that is an article describing an option, if the learning item related to the option sentence is an item to be acquired in order to pass the test, the option sentence management unit associates the identification information of the learning item with the option sentence and stores it as option sentence management data. A question creation unit that extracts the option sentences of the number of options from the option sentence management data so that the option sentences without the identification information added are included by the number determined according to the required first difficulty level, and creates a question including options based on each of the extracted option sentences. Thereby, it is possible to support creating multiple-choice questions by intentionally giving difficulty levels.

[0075] (Item 2) In the test question creation support system described in Item 1, the option sentence management unit classifies the question range of the test into a plurality of classifications by a plurality of hierarchies in an inclusion relationship, and in the option sentence management data, further associates classification information indicating to which classification the option sentence belongs with the option sentence. The question creation unit extracts the option sentences of the number of options from the option sentence management data so that all the option sentences are included in a single classification of the hierarchy determined according to the required second difficulty level, and all the option sentences are not included in a single classification of the lower hierarchy of the hierarchy. Thereby, it becomes possible to give various difficulty levels to multiple-choice questions.

[0076] (Item 3) In the test question creation support system according to Item 2, for each test session of the main test in a predetermined number of past sessions, the options of past questions presented in each test session are classified into the above classifications, the classifications are associated with the learning items, and the number of options presented from each of the learning items is counted as the number of options presented per test session. An analysis unit is further provided that determines that a learning item for which the number of options presented satisfies a predetermined condition is an item to be acquired in order to pass the main test. As a result, learning items with a high frequency of being presented in past main tests are items that many examinees have acquired and are likely to be answered correctly, while learning items with a low frequency of being presented are items that many examinees have not acquired and are difficult to be answered correctly. According to this aspect, since it is determined whether or not identification information is added to each learning item based on the question presentation tendency of the main test, the difficulty level can be controlled based on the question presentation tendency.

[0077] (Item 4) In the test question creation support system according to Item 1, when the number of options is 4 and the question creation unit creates the question so as to include two or three option sentences to which the identification information is not added, the correct option is arranged as the third or fourth option, and the first and second option sentences to which the identification information is not added are arranged.

[0078] (Item 5) In the test question creation support system according to Item 1, when the number of options is 5 and the question creation unit creates the question so as to include two or three option sentences to which the identification information is not added, the correct option is arranged as the fourth or fifth option, and the first and second option sentences to which the identification information is not added are arranged.

[0079] (Item 6) In the test question creation support system described in item 3, the analysis unit further classifies the learning items into a plurality of frequency regions based on the number of question options presented in each test, and the question creation unit creates a predetermined number of questions from the option sentence management data such that, for each frequency region, the questions containing the option sentences of the learning items included in the frequency region are included in a specified ratio or number. Thereby, since questions are created from the learning items according to the frequency of being presented in past tests of this type, it becomes possible to control the question presentation tendency as desired, such as making it equivalent to the past question presentation tendency or increasing the number of questions for learning items that have not been presented in the past.

[0080] (Item 7) In the test question creation support system described in item 6, the option sentence management unit further associates, in the option sentence management data, the question presentation information regarding the latest test session in which the question was presented with the option sentences included in the questions presented in each test session of a predetermined number of past tests of this type, and the question creation unit creates the predetermined number of questions from the option sentence management data such that the questions containing the options based on the option sentences created from the questions presented in the specified test session are included in a specified ratio or number based on the question presentation information. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the degree of overlap between the mock test and the question presentation in the latest test of this type.

[0081] (Item 8) In the test question creation support system described in item 1, the option sentence management unit further adds, in the option sentence management data, the basis clause information indicating the basis clause of the option sentence to the option sentence, extracts the option sentences having the specified clause as the basis clause from the option sentence management data, and presents them in an editable manner. Thereby, by specifying the clause for which the law has been amended, the option sentences having that clause as the basis clause can be extracted and presented in an editable manner, so that the necessary editing according to the law amendment can be easily performed.

[0082] (Item 9) In the test question creation support system described in Item 3, the option sentence management unit uses the sentences of each option of the past questions as option sentences, identifies the parts that can be changed from the conclusion parts in the option sentences as variable parts, associates the original words of the variable parts with the words that can be inserted into the variable parts instead of the original words, the question creation unit includes option sentences without the identification information for the number determined according to the second difficulty level, and all the option sentences are included in one classification of the hierarchy determined according to the second difficulty level and not all the option sentences are included in one classification of the lower hierarchy of the hierarchy, extracts the option sentences of the number of options from the option sentence management data, and selects one of the words associated with the variable parts of the option sentences so that any one of the extracted option sentences becomes the correct answer option and the rest become incorrect answer options.

[0083] (Item 10) In the test question creation support system described in Item 9, the option sentence management unit creates a thesaurus database in which words that cause mixing with each other are associated as synonyms, extracts synonyms of the original words of the variable parts from the thesaurus database for the variable parts, and associates them with the variable parts.

[0084] (Item 11) In the test question creation support system described in Item 10, the option sentence management unit registers antonyms having opposite meanings to each other and synonyms having similar meanings to each other in the thesaurus database as the synonyms.

[0085] (Item 12) In the test question creation support system described in Item 11, the present test is a test including laws in the question range, and the option sentence management unit registers antonyms and synonyms that appear in the same law as each other in the thesaurus database as the synonyms.

[0086] (Item 13) In the test question creation support system described in Item 11, the main test is a test including a plurality of subjects, and the option sentence management unit registers antonyms and synonyms that appear in learning items in the same subject as the similar words in the similar word database.

[0087] (Item 14) In the test question creation support system described in Item 11, the main test is a test including laws in the question range, and the option sentence management unit registers the text before amendment and the text after amendment in the law as the similar words in the similar word database.

[0088] (Item 15) In the test question creation support system described in Item 1, the number of options is 4, and the question creation unit defines the first difficulty level in four levels of A, B, C, and D from the lowest. If the first difficulty level D is required, four option sentences without the added identification information are extracted. If the first difficulty level C is required, three option sentences without the added identification information and one option sentence with the added identification information are extracted. If the first difficulty level B is required, two option sentences without the added identification information and two option sentences with the added identification information are extracted. If the first difficulty level A is required, one option sentence without the added identification information and three option sentences with the added identification information, or four option sentences with the added identification information are extracted.

[0089] (Item 16) In the test question creation support system described in Item 2, the question range is classified into a classification consisting of four levels: major classification, medium classification, minor classification, and detailed classification. The question creation unit defines the second difficulty level in four levels from the lowest as A, B, C, and D. If the second difficulty level D is required, the option sentences of the number of options are extracted so that all options are included in a single major classification and not included in a single medium classification. If the second difficulty level C is required, the option sentences of the number of options are extracted so that all options are included in a single medium classification and not included in a single minor classification. If the second difficulty level B is required, the option sentences of the number of options are extracted so that all options are included in a single minor classification and not included in a single detailed classification. If the second difficulty level A is required, the option sentences of the number of options are extracted so that all options are included in a single detailed classification.

[0090] (Item 17) In the test question creation support system described in Item 16, the question range is classified into major classification, medium classification, minor classification, and detailed classification corresponding to the levels of laws and regulations.

[0091] (Item 18) A test question creation support method for supporting questions of a mock test simulating the present test including multiple-choice questions in which a correct option is selected from a predetermined number of options described in each sentence. A computer, for an option sentence which is a sentence describing an option, if the learning item related to the option sentence is an item to be acquired in order to pass the present test, associates the identification information of the learning item with the option sentence and stores it as option sentence management data, and extracts the option sentences of the number of options from the option sentence management data so that the option sentences not added with the identification information include a number determined according to the required first difficulty level, and creates a question including options based on each of the extracted option sentences.

Explanation of Signs

[0092] 10... Test question creation support system, 11... Memory unit, 12... Analysis unit, 13... Learning item management unit, 14... Option text management unit, 15... Question creation unit, 21... Processor, 22... Main memory, 23... Storage device, 24... Input device, 25... Display device, 26... Bus

Claims

1. A test question creation support system for supporting questions of a mock test that mimics a test including multiple-choice questions in which a correct answer is selected from a predetermined number of options each described by a sentence, wherein for an option sentence that is a sentence describing an option, if the learning item related to the option sentence is an item to be acquired in order to pass the test, the option sentence management unit associates identification information of the learning item with the option sentence and stores it as option sentence management data; a question creation unit that extracts option sentences of the number of options from the option sentence management data so that the option sentences not added with the identification information include a number determined according to a required first difficulty level, and creates a question including options based on each of the extracted option sentences; A test question creation support system having the above.

2. The option sentence management unit classifies the question range of the test into a plurality of classifications by a plurality of hierarchies in an inclusion relationship, and in the option sentence management data, further associates classification information indicating to which classification the option sentence belongs with the option sentence; The question creation unit extracts option sentences of the number of options from the option sentence management data so that all option sentences are included in a single classification of a hierarchy determined according to a required second difficulty level, and all option sentences are not included in a single classification of a lower hierarchy of the hierarchy; The test question creation support system according to Claim 1.

3. The options of past questions presented in each test session of the test for a predetermined number of past sessions are classified into the classifications, the classifications are associated with the learning items, the number of options presented from each of the learning items is counted as the number of options presented per test session, and an analysis unit that sets learning items whose number of options presented satisfies a predetermined condition as items to be acquired in order to pass the test is further provided; The test question creation support system according to Claim 2.

4. the number of options is 4, when the question creation unit creates the question so as to include two or three option sentences not added with the identification information, the correct answer is arranged as the third or fourth option, and the option sentences not added with the identification information are arranged as the first and second options; The test question creation support system according to Claim 1.

5. the number of options is 5, When the problem creation unit creates the problem so as to include two or three option sentences without the identification information added thereto, it arranges the correct answer option as the fourth or fifth option, and arranges the option sentences without the identification information added thereto as the first and second options. The test question creation support system according to claim 1.

6. The analysis unit further classifies the learning items into a plurality of frequency ranges based on the number of option sentences presented in each test session. The problem creation unit creates a predetermined number of problems from the option sentence management data such that, for each of the frequency ranges, the problems including the option sentences of the learning items included in the frequency range are included in a specified ratio or number. The test question creation support system according to claim 3.

7. The option sentence management unit further associates, in the option sentence management data, the question presentation information regarding the latest test session in which the question including the option sentence presented in each test session of the past predetermined number of main tests was presented, with the option sentence. The problem creation unit creates the predetermined number of problems from the option sentence management data based on the question presentation information such that the problems including the options based on the option sentences created from the questions presented in the specified test session are included in a specified ratio or number. The test question creation support system according to claim 6.

8. The option sentence management unit further adds, in the option sentence management data, the basis clause information indicating the basis clause of the option sentence to the option sentence, extracts the option sentences having the specified clause as the basis clause from the option sentence management data, and presents them in an editable manner. The test question creation support system according to claim 1.

9. The option sentence management unit uses the sentences of each option of the past questions as option sentences, specifies, from the conclusion part of the option sentences, the parts that can be changed as variable parts, and associates, with the variable parts, the original words of the variable parts and the words that can be inserted into the variable parts instead of the original words. The question creation unit extracts the specified number of alternative sentences without the identification information added according to the second difficulty level, and extracts the alternative sentences of the specified number from the alternative sentence management data so that all the alternative sentences are included in one classification of the hierarchy determined according to the second difficulty level and none of the alternative sentences are included in one classification of the lower hierarchy of the hierarchy. Among the extracted alternative sentences, any one of the alternative sentences becomes the correct answer option and the rest become incorrect answer options, and any one of the words associated with the variable part of the alternative sentence is selected. The test question creation support system according to claim 3.

10. The alternative sentence management unit creates a thesaurus database in which words that cause mixing with each other are associated as synonyms, extracts synonyms of the original word of the variable part from the thesaurus database for the variable part, and associates them with the variable part. The test question creation support system according to claim 9.

11. The alternative sentence management unit registers antonyms having opposite meanings to each other and synonyms having similar meanings to each other as the synonyms in the thesaurus database. The test question creation support system according to claim 10.

12. The present test is a test including laws in the question range, The alternative sentence management unit registers antonyms and synonyms that appear in the same law as the synonyms in the thesaurus database. The test question creation support system according to claim 11.

13. The present test is a test including multiple subjects, The alternative sentence management unit registers antonyms and synonyms that appear in learning items in the same subject as the synonyms in the thesaurus database. The test question creation support system according to claim 11.

14. The present test is a test including laws in the question range, The alternative sentence management unit registers the original text and the revised text in the law as the synonyms in the thesaurus database. The test question creation support system according to claim 11.

15. The number of options is 4, The problem creation unit defines the first difficulty level in four levels of A, B, C, and D from the lower level. If the first difficulty level D is required, four option sentences without the identification information are extracted. If the first difficulty level C is required, three option sentences without the identification information and one option sentence with the identification information are extracted. If the first difficulty level B is required, two option sentences without the identification information and two option sentences with the identification information are extracted. If the first difficulty level A is required, one option sentence without the identification information and three option sentences with the identification information, or four option sentences with the identification information are extracted. The test question creation support system according to claim 1.

16. The question range is classified into a classification consisting of four levels of major classification, medium classification, minor classification, and detailed classification. The problem creation unit defines the second difficulty level in four levels of A, B, C, and D from the lower level. If the second difficulty level D is required, the specified number of option sentences are extracted so that all options are included in a single major classification and not included in a single medium classification. If the second difficulty level C is required, the specified number of option sentences are extracted so that all options are included in a single medium classification and not included in a single minor classification. If the second difficulty level B is required, the specified number of option sentences are extracted so that all options are included in a single minor classification and not included in a single detailed classification. If the second difficulty level A is required, the specified number of option sentences are extracted so that all options are included in a single detailed classification. The test question creation support system according to claim 2.

17. The question range is classified into major classification, medium classification, minor classification, and detailed classification corresponding to the levels of laws and regulations. The test question creation support system according to claim 16.

18. A test question creation support method for supporting questions of a mock test simulating this test including a multiple-choice question that allows a correct answer to be selected from a predetermined number of options described in each sentence, wherein a computer for an option sentence that is a sentence describing an option, if the learning item related to the option sentence is an item to be acquired for passing this test, associates the identification information of the learning item with the option sentence and stores it as option sentence management data. Extract the specified number of option sentences without the identification information added according to the required first difficulty level from the option sentence management data, and create a question including options based on each of the extracted option sentences. A method for assisting in creating test questions.

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