While Multiple Attempts offers great flexibility, the feature has specific behaviors regarding how settings are inherited and which standard Inspera features are supported.

This article outlines the known limitations for Multiple Attempts.

Timing and alignment

Limitation related to the start or end times of a multiple attempts test.

1. If you extend the end time of the parent test after it has been activated, the new time will not automatically apply to attempts that already exist.

   • The problem: Existing attempts retain their original end time and may appear as Expired to candidates, even if the overall test window is still open.
   • The solution: To resolve this issue, you must manually update the end time for each existing attempt via the Admin Panel.
     1. Navigate to the Admin Panel.
     2. Locate the test and select the student’s existing attempt.
     3. Manually adjust the end time to match the new extended end time.

   Note: Any new attempts created after the change is saved will automatically inherit the new extended end time.

2. No warning or error will appear if you change the parent test's start or end time to fall outside the child test's time. 

   This happens if:

   • The parent test's start time is set after the child test's start time.
   • The parent test's end time is set before the child test's end time.

   Recommendation: Always verify that the parent test's time frame fully covers the start and end times of all scheduled attempts before saving.

Changing settings after test activation

In a Multiple Attempts test, individual attempts inherit their configuration from the Parent Test. However, the timing of this inheritance depends on how the attempts are created.

See the scenarios below:

1. When the test is activated, the system creates only the first attempt.
   • Attempt 1: Inherits settings at activation. After the test is live, it will not receive any changes that is made to the parent test.
   • Future Attempts (2, 3, etc.): These inherit settings at the moment they are generated. Any changes made to the parent test will be propagated to these future attempts.
2. When the test is activated, the system creates all scheduled attempts simultaneously.
   • All Attempts: Because every attempt is created at the moment of activation, none of them will inherit changes made to the parent test after the test is live.

The Question Set Exception: Unlike other settings, changes made to the Question Set will apply to all attempts (existing and future), even if the test has already been activated.

Incompatible settings and features

• Auto-submission: Not supported in Multiple Attempts at this time. When Multiple Attempts is enabled, the option for auto-submission is greyed out.
• Committees: Not supported in Multiple Attempts at this time. While it is still possible to create and use committees, this will not restrict access to results and submissions outside the assigned committee. All Graders will have unrestricted access to all candidate data on the individual attempts
• Lockdown Browsers: Multiple Attempts is not compatible with any Lockdown Browsers, such as Inspera Integrity Browser (IIB) and Safe Exam Browser (SEB).
• Individual Start and End Time and Extra Time: Individual Starts and End Times and planned Extra Time are not compatible with Multiple Attempts. Even if extra time is granted to a specific candidate, they will be unable to start any new attempts once the parent test end time has passed. The parent test end time acts as a cutoff for all activity.
• Resubmission is not recommended for Multiple Attempts: While it can be enabled, the system does not clearly show the candidate whether they are editing an old attempt or starting a new one. This often leads to confusion. However, to enable Resubmission, it must be activated on both the parent test and the individual attempt.