Create a perfect test
in a few minutes.

What is TestGENIAL

For a teacher, creating a test should ideally be about the content and nothing else. Formatting, managing versions and checking consistency, however, often take more time than designing the test itself. TestGENIAL was created for exactly this reason: it lets you create high-quality multi-version tests in little time, with the help of AI.

One of its strengths is the quality of mathematical and scientific formulas: every text is compiled with LaTeX, the typesetting system used in scientific publications. The result is a professional-looking PDF, ready for double-sided printing.

Although it is optimised for scientific subjects, the tool is versatile enough for the humanities too.

The workflow

This is the typical path from creating a test to marking it:

The generated PDF contains all the versions of the test, already printed in sequence and in the right order for handing out: just print double-sided and give the sheets to the students in order.

The last three steps change if you choose the Online format: nothing is printed and nothing has to be transcribed, the test is taken on each student's device and the marking is already done when you close it. See Online tests.

Signing up and signing in

Go to testgenial.it and click Sign up. You can create an account with an email and password, or with your Google account using the dedicated button.

Interface language

TestGENIAL is available in English and Italian. The language is chosen automatically from your browser; you can change it at any time with the Italiano · English switch on the sign-in page or in your profile window. The interface language is separate from the language of each test (see Test details).

First visit

The first time you sign in, TestGENIAL automatically shows a window to complete your profile. Only the school level and at least one subject are required to use the app.

Profile and classes

You can open your profile at any time by clicking the user icon at the top left. The window is organised in four tabs — Profile, Classes, Grading and Privacy — and also contains the Log out button.

Profile tab

It collects the teacher's details. Two fields, marked with a red asterisk, are required to use the app: the school level and at least one subject.

Classes tab

You can register up to 10 classes, laid out in two columns. For each one you enter the year (from 1 to 13), the section and the number of students.

With Import/update from file you can fill the grid from the class file, the text file with the names that you keep on your computer: from that file the app reads the name of each class and how many lines it contains, that is the number of students. Classes already in the grid get their count updated, the others are added in the first free slots. Like every change in this panel, it takes effect when you press Save.

The red ✕ next to each class removes it. The removal, too, only becomes final when you press Save; Cancel brings the class back.

Grading tab

Here you set your usual grading scale (for example from 1 to 10): two whole numbers, the minimum lower than the maximum. It is the value proposed for every new test; each test can then have its own scale, from the settings panel in the sidebar (see Versions and students). Changing it here does not modify tests you have already saved.

Privacy tab

It contains the acceptance of the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy, with links to read both documents. Acceptance is required only once and is needed to use the app: until you give it, the profile window stays open on the Privacy tab. Once accepted, the tab shows the date on which you did so.

New subjects you enter in your tests are automatically added to your list of suggestions, so you will find them again in later sessions.

Test details

Before writing the questions, fill in the header of the test:

The first four fields (title, date, year, section) are printed in the header of the PDF. The others are used internally by the system and by the AI.

Writing questions

The question area is the main editor of TestGENIAL. Each question has its own box (card) with editor, toolbar, traffic light and live preview.

Top status bar

Above the question area there is a bar with 30 numbered squares, one for each question. Each square shows the state of the corresponding question with a colour:

The squares have two functions: navigation and reordering. Clicking a square scrolls to the corresponding question, which is highlighted for a second. Dragging a square to another position moves the corresponding question: this is how you reorder questions, not by dragging the cards themselves. Hovering over a square shows a tooltip with the text of the question.

The question traffic light

Each card has a small three-light traffic light (red, yellow, green) at the left of its header, showing the same state as the square in the top bar. It is an immediate visual reference without having to look at the bar.

Question text

Write in the text field of the card. The field has live syntax highlighting: mathematical formulas $...$ are coloured indigo, image placeholders [[{...}...]] grey. The rendered preview appears in the panel to the right of the card, with formulas typeset in LaTeX and images visible.

Question toolbar

Each card has a toolbar at the top with the following buttons:

Answer options

For multiple-choice questions, write the text of each option and select the correct one with the checkbox on its left. The number of visible options depends on the Max options setting, next to the total points under the status bar. One and only one option must be marked as correct.

"Open" checkbox

Ticking the Open checkbox in the card header turns the question from multiple choice into an open question. The controls for the type and height of the answer space appear.

Answer key

The Answer key button under the status bar opens a window with the correct answers to all the questions filled in, open questions included. It is useful when you give back the marked tests, for example by projecting it on the interactive whiteboard.

Before opening it, choose how many columns to arrange the answers in (from 1 to 8): your choice is remembered for next time. If there are open questions without an expected answer, TestGENIAL tells you and asks whether to continue anyway.

From the window, the Export PDF button downloads the answers as a separate document, with the same header as the test and the words ANSWER KEY: questions and correct answers only, without grid, name, points or grade. The PDF is always laid out in two columns, whatever number you chose for the window.

Taxonomy

In the same row, the Taxonomy button shows how the questions of the test you are writing are classified by topic: it is useful to check that the test covers the syllabus in a balanced way. See the Question catalog and taxonomy section.

Total points

Right under the status bar you can always see the total points of all the questions filled in, updated live. Next to it is the Max options field, which sets how many answer options the multiple-choice questions have.

New test

The New button in the sidebar clears the test completely: questions, details and settings. Use it to start from scratch.

Images in questions

You can add images to any question in three ways:

1. Upload a file — click the image icon and select a file from your computer. Supported formats: PNG, JPG, GIF.

2. Paste from the clipboard — take a screenshot and paste it directly with Ctrl+V in the question area.

3. Camera — on mobile devices, you can take a photo directly from the app and insert it in the question.

Each image is represented in the text by a placeholder [[{1.0}IMGxxxxxxxx.png]], where the number is the relative width (1.0 = the full width of the column, 0.5 = half). You can change this value directly in the text.

Question types

Closed question (multiple choice)

The default type. The student chooses one answer among the available options and marks it in the answer grid printed on the sheet. When marking, you just copy into the Excel sheet the letters the student wrote in the grid.

Open question

The student writes the answer in a dedicated space. A blank space is printed in the PDF, and you can choose its type:

For open questions you can set the height of the space with a whole number (from 0 to 30), which corresponds to the number of lines or the size of the grid in the PDF. For a new question the default space is a grid with height 6.

There is also an optional field for the expected answer, that is the ideal correct answer. If you do not write it, you can have Genius generate a model answer. The expected answer is of course not printed in the students' PDF, but it appears in the answer key — useful to project on the whiteboard when you give back the marked test. As for the question text, the preview of the answer updates as you type; the bin next to Answer space clears the expected answer and leaves the type and height of the space unchanged.

Points

Each question has a points field (default: 1). The total is calculated live and shown in the editor header, and it is also printed in the PDF under the title of the test.

In the Excel marking file, the SCORES sheet holds the value of each question for every version of the test. This lets you calculate the grade on any scale automatically with simple Excel formulas.

Saving the test (.tgen)

The .tgen format is TestGENIAL's own format. It contains everything: details, questions, options, points, images and the parameters of the last generation. Images are embedded directly in the file, which is therefore completely self-contained and needs no separate files.

Click Save to save the test. The first time, TestGENIAL asks where to save it, suggesting a name made from the title of the test; from then on that is the current file, whose name appears in the sidebar, and every later Save updates it without asking. The same applies to a file opened with Open. To save to a different file, hold down Shift while clicking Save (save as).

After every generation (PDF, LaTeX or online) the .tgen is saved automatically to the current file, with the parameters just used: a notice at the bottom confirms the file name. If the test has never been saved, the window to choose where to save it opens.

Opening a test again

Click Open and select the file you saved earlier. TestGENIAL loads all the questions, images and settings exactly as they were when you saved. The format is backward compatible with earlier versions of the app.

Genius: check a question

The Genius button on each question sends it to the AI to be checked and corrected automatically. It is the most used AI feature, ideal for polishing questions written by hand.

What Genius does

1. Checks that the question text makes sense and is worded correctly.

2. If there are fewer options than the configured maximum, generates the missing ones.

3. Enforces exactly one correct answer among the options.

4. Automatically converts mathematical and chemical formulas into the correct LaTeX format.

5. Corrects typos in the options without changing their content.

6. Returns a short note on what was changed, or "OK" if the question was already correct.

Genius with images

If the question contains images, Genius analyses them to extract their text content before working on the question. It can therefore generate or check the options taking into account what the image shows.

Variants and difficulty levels

Next to Genius, each question has three yellow buttons that, starting from an approved question, have the AI write a new question on the same topic and the same skill:

The generated question does not enter the test straight away: a window opens showing it next to the current one, with the AI's note on what changed, if any. From there you choose:

1. Overwrite the existing question — the new question takes the place of the current one. If you change your mind, the question's Undo button brings back the previous one.

2. Save as a new question — the new question is inserted right after, and the following questions move down one place. The last question of the test must be free: if the test is full, this option is disabled.

3. Cancel — the generated question is discarded.

Only the content of the new question changes, that is text and options: type (closed or open), points, images and answer space stay those of the original question. If there is an image, the new question uses it as it is and asks something consistent with what it shows.

Super Genius: generate the test

Super Genius is the most powerful AI feature: it generates or completes a whole test in a single operation. You start it from the collapsible Context panel, in the editor header above the questions.

How it works

Super Genius works in three ways, depending on the current state of the test:

Settings in the Context panel

When you open the panel you find:

1. Context text — a free text area where you describe the topic of the test, the difficulty and any particular instructions.

2. Multiple-choice questions — two fields side by side: the current value (grey, read-only) and the target value. The AI will bring the number of multiple-choice questions to the target value.

3. Open questions — same logic: current value → target value.

4. Super Genius button (golden light-bulb icon) — starts the generation.

Import from PDF

Do you have old tests as PDFs? TestGENIAL imports them automatically, converting them into the editable .tgen format. The process uses two AI passes:

1. Optical transcription — each page of the PDF is analysed by the AI, which transcribes the text with full understanding of mathematical formulas.

2. Structured conversion — the transcribed text is converted into the .tgen format, automatically identifying questions, options and correct answers.

3. Question selection — at the end of the process a window opens with all the extracted questions. You can choose Import all or select individual questions and click Import selected.

Images in the PDF are extracted, saved and attached to their questions.

Import options

You can set a range of pages to import (first page – last page), useful if the PDF contains several tests or cover material to skip.

Import from Word

.docx files are imported with a dedicated parser that correctly handles:

1. Normal text — all the paragraphs of the document are extracted in order.

2. Word equations — equations created with Word's equation editor are converted into LaTeX automatically. Fractions, powers, subscripts, roots, integrals, sums, matrices and many other constructs are supported.

3. Inline images — images embedded in the document are extracted and attached to the corresponding questions.

4. Tables — table contents are serialised with column separators, including any images in the cells.

After the text has been extracted, the same AI engine converts the content into the structured .tgen format. As with PDFs, at the end the question selection window opens so you can choose which ones to import.

Import from Moodle

If you use Moodle for online teaching, you can export questions from a question bank and import them directly into TestGENIAL. Two formats are supported:

LaTeX formulas in Moodle files (in the \(...\) and \[...\] format) are converted automatically into the $...$ format used by TestGENIAL. Images embedded in the XML file are extracted and attached to the corresponding questions automatically.

For Moodle too, at the end of the process the selection window opens so you can choose which questions to import.

Import from an image

Do you have a test on paper, without the original file? You can photograph it and import it directly. Select Image in the drop-down menu next to the Import from button and choose a photo or a scan in JPG or PNG format.

The image is analysed by the AI, which transcribes the text, mathematical formulas included, finds any graphs or drawings and crops them as separate images, then converts everything into the structured .tgen format, identifying questions, options and correct answers. As for the other formats, at the end the selection window opens so you can choose which questions to import.

Question catalog and taxonomy

As you create tests, you build up an archive of .tgen files. The Question catalog turns this scattered archive into a searchable question bank: it reads your .tgen files, extracts all their questions and organises them in a tree by topic, so you can find and reuse a question written months ago without remembering which file it was in.

How to open it

There are two ways in, with different purposes:

Loading questions

In the full catalog, at the top right, there are two buttons:

1. 📄 Open file — loads a single .tgen file.

2. 📁 Open folder — loads all the .tgen files in a folder at once. This is the most useful option: point it to the folder where you keep your tests and you get your whole question bank.

The ↺ Reload button reads the open folder again, useful if you have added or changed files in the meantime.

Below the header a bar sums up three numbers: how many .tgen files were read, how many total questions they contain and how many of them are already classified.

The taxonomy: how questions are organised

Each question can be labelled with a path of exactly four levels, from the most general to the most specific:

The same question can belong to several paths at once: a physics problem that requires solving an equation can appear under both Physics and Mathematics. In the tree you will find it in both branches.

Classification is automatic

You do not need to do anything to classify your questions: every time you generate a test, questions without a path are classified automatically by the AI during the generation, and the result is saved inside the .tgen file. Under normal conditions, then, when you open the catalog you find everything already in the right place.

Classification does not invent a new taxonomy every time: the AI receives the list of existing paths and is instructed to reuse them when appropriate, creating new ones only if none fits. This way the archive stays consistent over time instead of filling up with almost identical categories. Tests in English are classified in an English taxonomy, separate from the Italian one.

Taxonomy view

This is the default view: an expandable tree that mirrors the paths of the questions. Next to each node a counter shows how many questions it contains, including those in the branches below. Clicking the counter opens the list of those questions.

To find your way around the tree you have the 🔍 Search node field, which filters the tree showing only the branches whose name matches what you type, and the Expand all / Collapse all buttons.

Test list view

The second tab at the top shows the same data organised differently: instead of by topic, questions are grouped by subject → year → single test, with tests sorted by date. It is the right view when you are not looking for a topic but for a specific test among those you have given, for example to give it to another class.

The "Not classified" node

Any questions without a path are collected in a 📋 Not classified node at the top of the tree. If you find it populated, it is almost always tests created before this feature was introduced: those files never went through automatic classification.

To recover them just press the ✨ Classify button next to the node: the AI analyses those questions (text and options) and assigns one or more paths to each of them, exactly as it would during generation.

Reusing a question in the current test

If you opened the catalog from a question's Import button, you can bring any question found in the archive into the test you are writing:

1. Go to the node (or the test) you want and click its counter: a window opens with the list of questions, all preselected.

2. Click individual questions to select or deselect them; the All and None buttons act on all of them. The number of selected questions is always visible at the bottom.

3. Press Import selected and confirm: the questions are inserted into the test starting from the slot you opened the catalog from, together with their images.

View-only mode

The Taxonomy button under the status bar opens instead a view limited to the questions of the test open in the editor. There are no load or import buttons: it helps you understand how your test is spread across topics — useful to check at a glance whether you are covering the syllabus in a balanced way, or focusing too much on a single topic. Clicking a question opens its full preview, with formulas and images rendered.

Choosing the layout

TestGENIAL offers 6 predefined layouts combining three variables: number of columns, orientation of the options and border around the sheet.

Font

You can choose the font size among four options: Small, Medium (default), Large and Extra large. You can also choose the font family. Smaller sizes let you fit a long test into fewer pages; larger sizes improve readability.

Preview

Before generating the final PDF you can see a quick preview of the first version of the test. Its main purpose is to check the number of pages the test will take once printed, so you can adjust the layout or the font size if needed.

The preview shows the test as it will look once printed, images included. The pages carry the watermark PREVIEW, which of course is not in the final PDF.

Versions and students

Number of versions, number of students, question shuffling and grading scale are in the Show settings panel of the sidebar, above the Generate button. The panel opens and closes with a click; when closed it shows a summary (for example 4 versions · 21 students …), so the values that will end up in the test are always in view.

Number of versions

Set how many different versions of the test to generate, up to a maximum of 5. For each version, TestGENIAL calculates a different permutation of the order of the options. If you enable Shuffle questions, the order of the questions also changes between versions: in this case the number of different versions is in theory one per student, which makes copying practically impossible.

Number of students

Enter the total number of students in the class. TestGENIAL distributes the versions automatically: the sheets in the PDF are ordered so that students sitting next to each other get different versions.

Generating PDF and Excel

When the test is ready, click Generate. The system:

1. Checks that all the non-empty questions are filled in correctly.

2. Compiles the PDF with all the versions, always with an even number of pages per version, optimised for double-sided printing.

3. Generates the Excel sheet with marking keys and points — always, whatever format you chose.

4. Downloads both files automatically.

5. Saves the .tgen file automatically with the generation parameters, so you can generate the test again in the future (see Saving the test).

Output format

From the selector next to the Generate button you can choose the format:

Handing out and marking

Handing out the sheets in class

The generated PDF contains all the sheets in sequence, already ordered for handing out. Print double-sided and hand them out in order: students sitting next to each other automatically get different versions. Nothing has to be done by hand: just print and hand them out down the row.

Each sheet carries a unique ID for that student at the top. This number is different for every student and is used to identify the version of the test when marking.

The Excel marking sheet

The Excel file downloaded together with the PDF is the tool for marking the tests and calculating grades. It has two visible sheets: ANSWERS and RESULTS. The file is in the language of your interface: with TestGENIAL in Italian the same sheets are called RISPOSTE and RISULTATI.

ANSWERS sheet

Here you copy the students' answers after they have handed in their sheets. For each student there is a row with:

1. Student ID — entered by hand: it is the unique number printed on each student's sheet, different for each of them.

2. Version (VER) — calculated automatically from the ID you enter. You do not fill it in by hand.

3. Student name — pre-filled with "STUDENT 1", "STUDENT 2"… to be replaced with the real names.

4. Answers (1–30) — enter the letter of the answer the student gave (A, B, C…) for each question.

RESULTS sheet

It needs no manual input: it updates automatically as soon as you fill in the ANSWERS sheet. For each student it shows the final grade, the total points and the details question by question, with right answers highlighted in green and wrong ones in red. The grade is highlighted in red when the points obtained are less than 3/5 of the maximum, whatever the grading scale.

Online tests

If you choose the Online format the test is not printed: in class you project an address, each student opens it on their own device and takes the test there. When you close it, the register with points and grades is already filled in: there are no answers to copy by hand.

Generating the test

You prepare the test as usual — questions, layout, versions, number of students — then set the selector next to Generate to Online and click Generate. Unlike the paper test nothing is downloaded: there are no sheets to print, and the marking sheet will arrive at the end, already filled in. The .tgen file is saved automatically, as for the PDF.

Versions work as on paper: each student gets the version that matches their number, with the options (and possibly the questions) in a different order from their neighbour's. Students see the test page in the language of the test.

The class file

To give an online test you need a text file with the names of the class, which you keep on your computer. It is an ordinary .txt file that you write yourself, with this structure:

You can keep all your classes in the same file, one after the other. It has only one purpose: to match each student with the number they use to enter the test.

The Administer panel

The Administer online test button, in the left column of the editor, opens the administration panel in a new tab. It stays disabled until you have at least one online test. The panel is designed to be used from your phone, with the class in front of you.

Each test is a card with the class, the title, the address to project (with a Copy button) and its status: Not opened yet or Open. The eye icon shows a preview of the questions as students see them.

1. Open classes — at the top, loads the file of names. Until you do, the button to open the test stays disabled and the card explains what is missing.

2. Open the test — from this moment students can join. Before that they cannot: the address exists, but the test is not active yet.

3. Board — opens the number → name list full screen, with the address at the top: it is what you project in class before starting. It shows only this, never how the test is going.

What students do

Students open the address, type the number they find next to their name on the board and press Start the test. They do not need to sign up or install anything: a browser is enough.

The questions are one below the other, with the student's number and progress always in view. What happens after answering is designed to discourage copying from the next seat:

When they have finished they press Submit. Answers are saved as they answer, not when they submit: if the device switches off or the network drops, rejoining with the same number brings their work back.

Following the test

While the test is open the card shows the dashboard: how many have submitted, how many are in progress and how many are absent, and below one row per student with number, name and a bar with one notch per question — the same bar students see at the bottom of their page. It refreshes by itself every minute, as long as the tab is in the foreground.

1. Show results — colours the notches: green right answer, red wrong. Use it with care: it is your dashboard, not the class's.

2. Free up a number — the icon next to a student makes their number usable again. It is useful when a device freezes and the student has to rejoin, or to cancel a submission made by mistake.

3. Student leaving the page — if during the test a student leaves the test page, their row shows it. The student knows: a notice on their screen tells them.

Closing and marking

At the end, press Close and mark. TestGENIAL marks all the submissions and downloads two files:

Reports and feedback

Found a bug? Want to suggest a feature? Click the round red button fixed at the bottom right of the screen. A window opens where you can classify the report (Bug, Suggestion, Other) and describe the problem freely. Each report gets a reference number.