Quiz Questions With Multiple Correct Answers: A Guide

Dvir Atias

Sep 14, 2026

Quiz Questions With Multiple Correct Answers: A Guide

Quiz Questions With Multiple Correct Answers: How to Write, Score, and Set Them Up

A quiz question with multiple correct answers asks students to select every option that is true, usually signaled by the words "select all that apply." They are also called multiple answer, multiple response, or multi-select questions, and the biggest decision you make with them is how to score them, because each platform handles partial answers differently.

This guide covers when the format is worth using, the scoring approaches, how Google Forms, Kahoot, Moodle, and Canvas each handle it, and ready-to-use examples.

How platforms score multiple correct answer questions

Platform	Question type to use	Default scoring	Partial credit?
Google Forms	Checkboxes (in a quiz)	All-or-nothing	No native partial credit
Kahoot	Quiz question with multi-select turned on	Any wrong selection gives 0 points	Points per correct answer selected, only if no wrong answers are chosen
Moodle	Multiple choice set to allow multiple answers	Percentages you set per option	Yes, including negative percentages
Canvas New Quizzes	Multiple Answer	You choose	Exact match or partial credit with penalty

The details behind each row are below. The short version: if partial credit matters to you, Moodle and Canvas give you control, while Google Forms does not.

When to use a multiple correct answers question

The format earns its place when knowing one answer is not the same as understanding the idea.

Classification: Which of these are mammals? Which are renewable resources?
Identifying all conditions: Which symptoms are consistent with dehydration?
Checking for overgeneralization: Which of these statements about the water cycle are true?
Procedures and safety: Which steps are required before using a Bunsen burner?

Avoid it when there is naturally one answer. Forcing a second key into a factual question usually produces an awkward or debatable option. It also adds reading load, so keep the option list to four to six items.

Writing tips specific to this format

Always say how to answer. Write "Select all that apply" in the stem. Do not make students guess whether one or several answers are expected.
Vary the number of keys. If every question has exactly two correct options, students learn to pick two. Mix questions with one, two, and three keys.
Make each option independently true or false. Every option should be judged on its own. Options that depend on each other ("both A and C") belong in a single-answer question instead.
Avoid all of the above as an option. In a select-all question it makes no sense, since students can already select everything.
Watch for select-all gaming. If your scoring gives credit for each correct option without penalty, a student who ticks every box earns points. Choose scoring that prevents this.

Scoring approaches explained

All-or-nothing (exact match)

The student earns full points only by selecting every correct option and no incorrect ones. Anything else scores zero.

Pros: Simple, strict, impossible to game by selecting everything.
Cons: A student who got three of four judgments right gets the same score as one who got none right. Harsh for questions with many options.

Use it when partial knowledge is genuinely dangerous or misleading, such as safety procedures.

Partial credit without penalty

Each correct option selected earns a share of the points. Wrong selections cost nothing.

Problem: A student who selects every option gets full or near-full credit. Only safe if you also cap selections, which most tools cannot do.

Partial credit with penalty

Each correct selection earns a share and each incorrect selection subtracts a share. This is how Canvas New Quizzes describes its partial credit option: the question's points are divided by the number of correct answers, that amount is awarded for each correct selection and deducted for each incorrect one.

Worked example: A 9-point question has three correct options and two incorrect ones. Each correct selection is worth 3 points. A student who picks two correct options and one incorrect option earns 3 + 3 minus 3 = 3 points.

Split it into true or false items

If your platform only offers all-or-nothing but you want partial credit, turn one select-all question into several true or false questions worth 1 point each. You lose the compact format but gain fair scoring on any platform.

How to set it up in Google Forms

Google Forms uses the Checkboxes question type for multiple correct answers. Grading only happens once the form is a quiz.

Step 1: Turn the form into a quiz

Open the form, click Settings, and turn on Make this a quiz.

Step 2: Add a Checkboxes question

Back on the Questions tab, add a question and change the type to Checkboxes. Type the stem, including "Select all that apply," and add your options.

Step 3: Mark every correct option in the answer key

Click Answer key at the bottom left of the question, tick every correct option, and set the point value at the top right. You can also add feedback for correct and incorrect answers.

Step 4: Test the scoring

Preview the form and submit a response that is partly right. You will see that Google Forms awards zero points: checkbox grading is all-or-nothing, and there is no native partial credit. If you need partial credit, use separate multiple choice questions or adjust scores by hand in the Responses tab before releasing them. The guide on how to make an answer key in Google Forms covers the rest of the setup.

How to set it up in Kahoot

In Kahoot, a standard quiz question can be switched from single select to multi-select, so players must choose all the answers they think are correct before submitting. According to Kahoot's help and blog content, a player who picks any incorrect answer receives 0 points, while players who select only correct answers earn points for each correct answer selected, reduced by response time unless the timer is off.

Multi-select is not included in every Kahoot plan. Kahoot has described it as a paid feature for teachers, so check your plan in the question editor before building a whole quiz around it.

Setup: add a quiz question, type your answers, and mark every correct one. Then, in the question settings panel, choose Multi-select under Answer options. Kahoot's help content notes that marking more than one answer as correct can switch the question to multi-select automatically. Before the question appears in a game, players are told it is multi-select.

How to set it up in Moodle

Moodle's Multiple choice question type has a setting that lets you choose between one answer only and multiple answers allowed.

Add a Multiple choice question to the question bank.
Set One or multiple answers? to multiple answers allowed.
Give each option a grade percentage. The positive percentages for correct options must add up to 100 percent.
Give incorrect options a negative percentage.

Step 4 is important. Moodle's own documentation warns that if you allow multiple answers and do not give wrong options a negative grade, students can tick every choice and receive full marks. A common setup for two correct and two incorrect options is 50 percent for each correct option and minus 50 percent for each incorrect one. Moodle does not let a question total go below zero.

How to set it up in Canvas

In Canvas New Quizzes, add a Multiple Answer question, enter the options, and mark each correct one. In the scoring options, choose between:

Exact match: full credit only when all correct answers are selected and no incorrect answers are selected.
Partial credit with penalty: points divided by the number of correct answers, awarded per correct selection and deducted per incorrect selection.

There is no partial credit without penalty option. Classic Quizzes also has a Multiple Answers type, and its scoring behaves like the partial credit with penalty model described above.

Moving questions between platforms

Each platform stores multiple correct answers differently, so copying questions by hand means rebuilding keys each time. Formswrite reads your question document once and exports to Google Forms, Kahoot, Moodle XML, Canvas (QTI), and more. Exports to Google Forms, Kahoot, and Moodle are on paid plans; the free plan covers Formswrite forms and flashcards.

Examples of quiz questions with multiple correct answers

Keys are in bold.

Science: Which of these are examples of chemical changes? Select all that apply.** Burning wood**, Melting ice, Rusting iron, Dissolving sugar in water, Baking bread

Math: Which of these numbers are divisible by 3? Select all that apply.** 27**, 32, 51, 64, 102

English: Which of these sentences use the passive voice? Select all that apply.** The cake was eaten by the kids.** The kids ate the cake. The report will be finished tomorrow. She is writing a report.

History: Which of these countries were Allied powers in World War II? Select all that apply.** United Kingdom**, Italy, Soviet Union, Japan, United States

Geography: Which of these countries border France? Select all that apply.** Spain**, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Germany

Health: Which of these are good sources of dietary fiber? Select all that apply.** Lentils**, Chicken, Oats, Cheese, Broccoli

Notice the number of keys ranges from two to three, and some questions include options that are close to correct, like Italy (an Axis power) or Portugal (which borders Spain, not France).

FAQ

What is a multiple correct answer question called?

It goes by several names: multiple answer, multiple response, multi-select, or select all that apply. In Google Forms it is a Checkboxes question, in Canvas a Multiple Answer question, and in Moodle a multiple choice question with multiple answers allowed.

Does Google Forms give partial credit for checkbox questions?

No. Google Forms grades checkbox questions all-or-nothing. A student must select every correct option and no incorrect ones to earn the points. For partial credit, split the question into separate questions or adjust scores manually.

How do I stop students from selecting every option?

Use exact match scoring or a penalty for wrong selections. In Moodle, give incorrect options negative percentages. In Canvas, choose exact match or partial credit with penalty. In Google Forms, checkbox scoring is already all-or-nothing.

Can Kahoot questions have more than one correct answer?

Yes. You can mark several answers correct and turn on multi-select so players must choose all of them. Players who pick any wrong answer get 0 points. Multi-select is not available on every plan, so check your account.

How many correct answers should a select all that apply question have?

There is no fixed rule, but vary it across a quiz. If every question has exactly two keys, students notice the pattern. Four to six options with one to three keys is a manageable range.

Is all-or-nothing or partial credit scoring better?

It depends on the goal. All-or-nothing suits content where a partial answer is still wrong, like safety steps. Partial credit with penalty gives a more detailed picture of what students know and is fairer on long option lists.

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