After completing an assessment, many candidates want to understand how they performed: which questions they answered correctly and which they got wrong. Review sessions are well-suited for this, yet not every educational institution offers them. Sometimes this is due to the organisational effort involved, and sometimes out of concern that assessment questions might be exposed.
That concern is understandable. At the same time, providing review opportunities can be highly valuable for candidates. Gaining insight into a completed assessment can significantly support the learning process and increase acceptance of the results.
In this blog, you will discover why digital assessment review can be valuable for candidates, which considerations play a role, and how review sessions can be organised securely without compromising assessment content.
Digital assessment review
Institutions handle assessment reviews in very different ways. By “review,” I mean allowing candidates to view their assessment online after results are published. Some institutions do not allow any form of review due to the risk of content leakage, while others provide immediate access to the results right after the assessment.
While it is important to protect assessment questions and correct answers (and many measures exist to do so), and while institutional policies may already define whether and how reviews are organised, it is always worth considering the candidate’s need to review their assessment. The importance of this depends on several factors:
- the type of assessment (summative or formative),
- the impact of the assessment (low, medium, or high stakes),
- and whether a resit is offered, and if so, whether it includes different questions.
Should candidates be allowed to learn from their mistakes and see what they did wrong? In formative assessments, this is the primary purpose, so reviews are more commonly provided. However, even in (high-stakes) summative assessments, reviews can be highly valuable. If a resit is available, it is essential that candidates can learn from their previous mistakes. When there is sufficient variation in the questions and the resit contains different items, this also prevents candidates from simply memorising correct answers during the review rather than truly understanding the material.
A review session also allows feedback to be provided in different ways. You can offer feedback at the question level by showing whether an answer is correct or incorrect. If more explanation is desired, you can also include reasoning for why an answer is right or wrong. If you prefer not to show the questions themselves, feedback can also be provided at a higher level. For example, when multiple knowledge domains are assessed within one assessment, you can provide feedback per domain or subtopic. This way, candidates receive more than just a final score or percentage—they gain insight into their performance across different areas.
And returning to the concern about protecting assessment content: a review session can be secured just as strictly as an assessment itself. This prevents candidates from copying or distributing questions and answers. It is also possible to grant candidates access to their results only during a specific time window, similar to an assessment session. So if there have been past reasons not to offer reviews, it is important to know that there are secure ways to provide candidates with access to their results.
Transparency and learning
Assessments are not only a measurement moment but also an integral part of the learning process. By giving candidates insight into their results, you create a greater understanding of the evaluation and more opportunities to learn from mistakes.
That is why it is worthwhile to consciously consider how review sessions are organised within your institution. With the right balance between transparency and security, candidates can receive valuable feedback without compromising the integrity of the assessment content.
