Combining Exams

Owned by Will Garnett
Last updated: Feb 28, 2022 by Mary Lawson

The combining exams feature allows you to combine multiple OSCE or Written exams (more specifically exam blocks) into a single exam of the same type to allow desired results processing.

For example, this feature would allow you to run a two day exam with the same candidates on both days, but with different item sets (2 part OSCE), and then combine these two parts into a single exam for processing. After combining the exams you can use all result processing and reporting functionality for a combined exam as you would use for a normal exam.

When you are combining exams Practique keeps the order of the items the same as it was in the exams being combined.

the golden rule of combining is “Every candidate should take every item exactly once” and also “All candidates should take all items”.

Exam Set Up

There are two situations where you can combine exams:

  • Same candidates, different content. For example, on Exam 1 you deliver stations 1-5 for all students, and on Exam 2 you deliver stations 2-6 for all students
  • Different candidates, same content. For example, on Exam 1 you deliver stations 1-10 for half the students, and on Exam 2 you deliver stations 1-10 for the other half of the students.

NOTE It is not possible to combine exams where both the candidates and the stations differ.

To run a combined exam:

  1. Set up and schedule the individual exams as separate exams. For example you would have OSCE Part 1, OSCE Part 2.

  2. Run these exams as per normal

  3. Once you have run the exams, you can create a combined exam from the Create a new exam screen by clicking I want to create a combined exam. 

  4. Select a date for that combined exam

  5. Select the type of exam which can be OSCE or Written. Note -  It is not possible to combine different types of exams.

  6.  Practique will show eligible exam blocks that could be combined.

  7. Click Add to add the exam blocks to the combined exam.

  8. By clicking Verify Practique will give an overview of the number of candidates, examinations, interviews and cases/questions for the combined exam.

  9. If you are happy with the combined exam overview, click Confirm and create.
    1. Combining process may take substantial amount of time (even 10 minutes or more)
    2. You will see the progress for your new combined exam, please wait until combining is finished.

  10. Practique will combine the exams, and a combined exam will appear on the Dashboard.
    1. Exams which you've combined will change their title indicating that they have been Combined into new exam
    2. Combined exam will have title indicating that it is Combined exam

Tips / troubleshooting

The golden rule of combining exams is that every candidate should take every item exactly once and all candidates should take all items.