Analyzing exam results: a practical guide

Running an exam is only the beginning — the real work starts with analyzing the results. Proper analysis reveals question quality, how well students mastered the material, and the strengths and weaknesses of your course.

Start with the average score

The simplest metric is the average score. But don't rely on it alone:

• Dispersion — how spread out results are around the average.
• Pass rate — the share of participants who scored below the passing threshold.
• Trends — compare results across multiple exams to spot improvements or declines.

Question-level analysis

For every question, calculate its correct-answer percentage:

• Above 90% — the question is too easy and discriminates poorly.
• Below 30% — the question is confusing or badly constructed.
• The 40–80% range — questions with the best discrimination power.

Identify problematic questions and rework them for future exams.

Conclusions and next steps

Result analysis is not a one-off activity. After every exam, record your findings and refresh your question bank. The Examing analytics panel computes all these metrics automatically, and certificates are generated with a single click.

Good analysis is half of the next exam.