> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.equip.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Question Types in Custom Quizzes

> All question formats available in custom quizzes, from multiple choice to voice recordings, documents, and question pools.

Quizzes are not limited to multiple-choice questions. A **custom quiz** supports a wide range of question formats, so you can test how candidates think, write, speak, and organize information, not just what they can recognize in a list of options.

While [creating a custom quiz](/custom-tests), you can set **points** and optional **negative points** for each question. Timers are set per question or for the whole test, depending on whether the quiz shows questions one at a time or all at once; see [Quiz Display Modes](/quiz-display-modes) and [Time Limits in Custom Quizzes](/custom-quiz-time-limits).

<Note>
  A custom quiz can hold up to **100 questions**. If you need more, add a second quiz to the same assessment. See [Question Limits per Test](/question-limits).
</Note>

## Objective Formats

Objective questions have defined correct answers, which makes them fast to grade and easy to compare across candidates.

| Question Type  | How It Works                                                                                                                              |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **MCQ**        | A question with exactly one correct answer.                                                                                               |
| **MCA**        | A question with multiple correct answers. Candidates must select all that apply.                                                          |
| **Cloze**      | Fill-in-the-blanks with drag and drop. Candidates see all the options, including wrong ones (distractors), and drag them into the blanks. |
| **Match**      | Two columns of related items. Candidates drag and drop to pair items across the columns.                                                  |
| **Categorize** | A set of items that candidates must sort into the correct buckets.                                                                        |

<Tip>
  Negative marking is optional in custom quizzes. If you use the auto-calculate option, negative points equal the question's points divided by the number of options. Negative points are never auto-assigned to MCAs; see [Negative Marking](/negative-marking) for details.
</Tip>

## Text and Voice Formats

These formats capture free-form responses, which are useful for judging written communication, reasoning, and spoken fluency.

| Question Type         | How It Works                                                                                                                                 |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Short Text**        | An essay-type question. You can set a minimum and maximum answer length.                                                                     |
| **Single-line Input** | Like Short Text but for small inputs. You can add validations so the field accepts only emails, numbers, or dates.                           |
| **Autograded Text**   | You provide the question and the expected answer. A candidate's submission is marked correct only if it matches the expected answer exactly. |
| **Voice Input**       | You provide a piece of text, and candidates record themselves speaking it aloud.                                                             |

Custom quizzes also include **transcription** and **preference** question formats alongside the types above.

<Note>
  **Autograded Text** and **transcription** questions are graded automatically. **Short Text**, **Single-line Input**, and **Voice Input** responses need a recruiter to review them and award points. See [Manual Grading](/manual-grading).
</Note>

## Advanced Formats

Advanced formats combine multiple elements, such as a passage with nested questions or a randomized pool, to build richer scenarios.

| Question Type     | How It Works                                                                                                                                        |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Coding Editor** | Candidates write code in an editor with syntax highlighting and autocomplete. You choose the programming language. The code is not executed.        |
| **Comprehension** | Nest questions inside a parent. Write a passage of text and ask multiple questions based on it.                                                     |
| **Document**      | Upload a PDF and ask multiple sub-questions based on it. Ideal for case studies. See [Using Documents in Custom Tests](/documents-in-custom-tests). |
| **Answer Any**    | Create a set of questions, say 5, and let each candidate answer any 3 of them.                                                                      |
| **Question Pool** | Add several questions to a pool; each candidate is shown one question chosen at random from it.                                                     |

<Warning>
  The **Coding Editor** question type does not run the candidate's code, so it is best for evaluating approach and style. If you want code that compiles and runs against test cases, create a [custom programming test](/custom-programming-test) instead.
</Warning>

<Tip>
  **Question Pool** is the simplest way to show different candidates different questions inside one quiz. For larger-scale randomization across many questions, use a [Question Bank Quiz](/question-bank-quiz).
</Tip>

## Related Resources

* [Custom Tests](/custom-tests) - How to create a custom quiz and add it to an assessment
* [Quiz Display Modes](/quiz-display-modes) - Screen-by-screen versus all-at-once quizzes
* [Time Limits in Custom Quizzes](/custom-quiz-time-limits) - Where per-question and whole-test timers apply
* [Import Questions from Excel](/import-questions-from-excel) - Bulk-add MCQ and MCA questions from a spreadsheet