Question Authoring Workflow: How to create, edit and approve questions

1. Overview

The Question Authoring Workflow in iMocha enables teams to collaboratively create, review, and approve assessment questions directly within the platform. This eliminates the need for external coordination via emails or spreadsheets and ensures structured quality control.

Admins can assign creators and reviewers (SMEs) to question banks, configure minimum approval requirements, and monitor review progress in real time.

Supported Question Types

• Descriptive

• Fill in the Blanks

• Multiple Answer

• MCQ

• True and False

• Upload File

Roles in the Workflow

• Admin / Super Admin: Can configure permissions to assign creators and reviewers, and set approval requirements.

• Question Creator: Adds and edits questions within assigned question banks. Can view the reviewers’ comments and update the questions accordingly.

• Reviewer / SME: Reviews assigned questions, provide comments for creator and mark the status of questions as Accept, Reject, or Suggest Edit.

Manage Question Reviewer – Allows assigning reviewers to question banks.

Important Rules:

• Admin and Super Admin have “Review Questions” and “Manage Question Reviewer” permissions enabled by default.

• The question creator cannot review their own question.

• A reviewer cannot add or edit questions in the same question bank.

• Other roles must be manually assigned review permissions.

Step 2 – Create a Question Bank

1. Click Add Question Bank.
   
   

2. By default, a newly created Question Bank (QB) is set to Inactive to prevent unreviewed questions from going live.

The review process is triggered only when at least one reviewer is added while sharing the QB.

Review Workflow Behavior:

• All newly added questions go through review, and questions remain inactive until the minimum number of approvals is met. This ensures every new question is validated before being used in live assessments.

• When a new Question Bank (QB) is created, it is set to Inactive by default. It will only be marked for review once at least one reviewer is added while sharing the Question Bank.

• This ensures that unreviewed questions do not go live and maintains quality control from the beginning.

• If the status of a new QB is manually set to Active, the Question Bank and its questions will remain live and available in tests. However, once the review process is initiated—by adding reviewers while sharing the Question Bank—all questions are automatically made inactive in the QB.

• When the review process is triggered:

• All newly added questions must go through review.

• Questions remain inactive until they receive the minimum required number of approvals.

• Only after meeting the approval requirement can the questions be used in live assessments.

• This process ensures that every new question is properly validated before appearing in active tests.

Step 3 – Share Question Bank & Assign Roles

Click Share on the Question Bank.
 

• In the Share modal:

Add users. The users, depending upon their assigned permissions can act as creator or reviewers.

Assign Add, Edit, or Review permissions. These permissions will govern which user can perform what action.

Set Minimum Reviewer Approvals per Difficulty Level.

• Set Minimum Reviewer Approvals per Difficulty Level.
  
  
  Important Rules:

• A user cannot have both Add/Edit and Review permissions.

• Selecting Review removes Add/Edit automatically.

• View permission is always enabled.

• Maximum 10 creators can be added.
  
  The Question Bank can be shared only when:

• At least one user is added.

• Minimum reviewer approvals (1–10) are configured.

• Reviewer count per difficulty level meets the minimum requirement.

Difficulty-Level Approval Logic

This ensures that every question of each difficulty receives enough expert validation. The Save Users and Share button becomes active only when:

1. At least one user has been added

2. A valid minimum reviewer approval number (1–10) is set

3. Permission combinations are valid

How the Minimum Reviewer Approvals per Difficult level dropdown Works?

A single question bank can contain questions across multiple difficulty levels—Easy, Medium, and Hard. To maintain review quality and consistency, each difficulty level must have a sufficient number of qualified reviewers assigned before the question bank can be shared.

This is enforced through a validation check on the screen that ensures the minimum required number of reviewers is met for every difficulty level.

Purpose of This Setting

This validation ensures that:

• Every difficulty level has enough reviewers.

• No level is approved by fewer reviewers than required.

• The configured Minimum Reviewer Approvals rule is applied consistently.

How It Works (Example)

If the Minimum Number of Reviewers is set to 2, and you add:

• Reviewer A

• Reviewer B

You then assign:

1. Reviewer A → Easy questions only

2. Reviewer B → Medium questions only

When attempting to share the question bank, the system prevents sharing and shows an error.

Reason: Each difficulty level must have at least 2 reviewers:

• Easy → Only 1 reviewer assigned

• Medium → Only 1 reviewer assigned

• Hard → None assigned (if applicable)
  

When Sharing Is Allowed

After each difficulty level meets the required reviewer count, clicking Save Users and Share successfully shares the question bank.

Important Permission Rules

• A user cannot have both Add/Edit and Review permissions.

• Selecting Review automatically removes Add/Edit.

• Selecting Add/Edit removes Review.

• View permission is always enabled.

• A maximum of 10 creators can be added.

When the “Save Users and Share” Button Becomes Active

The button is enabled only when:

• At least one user is added.

• A valid minimum reviewer count per difficulty level is configured.

• Permission combinations are valid (no conflicts).

• Reviewer assignments meet the minimum approval requirement.

Access Visibility

• Users can see only the questions for their assigned difficulty level.

• Any updates made to questions appear under Pending status.

• The Question Bank then moves back into the review workflow.

Editing Existing Permissions (After Sharing)

If you reopen a previously shared Question Bank:

Step 1: View Current Access

• Existing users and their roles are displayed.

• Roles appear read-only by default.

Step 2: Modify Roles

• Click the Edit icon to make changes.

• Permissions (Add, Edit, Review) can be updated.

When roles change:

• Conflicting permissions are removed automatically.

  • Selecting Review → Add/Edit removed

  • Selecting Add/Edit → Review removed

• The system revalidates minimum reviewer requirements.

• All validation rules are applied again.

Step 3: Save Changes

• Click Save Users and Share to apply updates.

Deleting Users from a Question Bank

• Click the Delete icon next to the user.

• The user is immediately removed from the shared list.

• Access to the Question Bank is revoked instantly.

Why this helps:
Ensures real-time access control and maintains security.

Review Behavior

• Reviewers can only review questions they did not create.

• A question becomes Accepted only after receiving the configured minimum number of approvals.

Role Change Handling

Case A: Creator → Reviewer

If a user with Add/Edit access is changed to Review:

• They lose the ability to add or edit questions.

• They can review only questions created by others.

• They cannot review their own previously created questions.

Why this helps: Maintains separation between creation and approval.

Case B: Reviewer → Creator

If a user with Review permission is changed to Add/Edit:

• They can now add and edit questions.

• They lose the ability to review questions.

• A user can never hold Add/Edit and Review simultaneously

Monitoring Question Bank Status

From the Manage Category/Skills screen, admins can view a Question Status column showing different statuses as :

• Accepted

• Rejected

• Suggested Edits

• Pending

These statuses can help the user to decide if a particular QB is good enough to be set as Active, so that it will be available to be used in assessment.

For question banks without review enabled, only the total question count is displayed.

3. For Question Creators: Adding and Tracking Questions

Adding Questions

Once granted Add permission, creators can begin adding questions to the assigned Question Bank.

Review Status Indicators

• Accepted → The required number of reviewers have approved the question. It is active.
• Rejected → The required number of reviewers have not approved the question. All reviewers have reviewed.
• Pending for Review → Not enough reviewers have responded yet.
• Edit Suggested →  The required number of reviewers have not approved the question, and one of the reviewers has suggested an edit to the question.
  
  
• Hovering over the info icon displays reviewer names and their individual decisions.

Example: How the Final Review Status Is Calculated

The final review status is determined by comparing the individual decisions of all assigned reviewers against the configured Minimum Approvals Required per Difficulty Level.

In all examples below, the difficulty level considered is Easy, and there are 5 assigned reviewers.
The statuses listed represent the individual decisions of the 5 reviewers, not a sequential workflow.

Scenario 1

Total Reviewers Assigned: 5
Minimum Approvals Required: 4

Case 1

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Suggested Edit
• Reviewer 2: Approved
• Reviewer 3: Rejected
• Reviewer 4: Approved
• Reviewer 5: Rejected

Final Status: Rejected
Only 2 approvals are recorded. Even if the “Suggested Edit” changes to Approved, the maximum possible approvals would be 3, which is less than the required 4.

Case 2

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Suggested Edit
• Reviewer 2: Rejected
• Reviewer 3: Rejected
• Reviewer 4: Not Reviewed
• Reviewer 5: Not Reviewed

Final Status: Rejected (Review Stops Early)
With 2 rejections already recorded, reaching 4 approvals is no longer possible. The question is rejected and removed from the remaining reviewers’ review queue.

Case 3

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Approved
• Reviewer 2: Approved
• Reviewer 3: Rejected
• Reviewer 4: Approved
• Reviewer 5: Rejected

Final Status: Rejected
There are 3 approvals, which does not meet the minimum requirement of 4.

Case 4

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Approved
• Reviewer 2: Approved
• Reviewer 3: Approved
• Reviewer 4: Approved
• Reviewer 5: Rejected

Final Status: Approved
The required 4 approvals are met, so the question is accepted.

Case 5

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Approved
• Reviewer 2: Approved
• Reviewer 3: Not Reviewed
• Reviewer 4: Approved
• Reviewer 5: Rejected

Final Status: Pending for Review
Currently, there are 3 approvals. The decision of Reviewer 3 will determine whether the question reaches 4 approvals or remains below the threshold.

Scenario 2

Total Reviewers Assigned: 5
Minimum Approvals Required: 3

Case 1

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Suggested Edit
• Reviewer 2: Approved
• Reviewer 3: Rejected
• Reviewer 4: Approved
• Reviewer 5: Rejected

Final Status: Pending for Review
There are currently 2 approvals. If the “Suggested Edit” is changed to Approved, the total will reach 3, meeting the requirement. Therefore, the outcome is still undecided.

Case 2

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Suggested Edit
• Reviewer 2: Rejected
• Reviewer 3: Rejected
• Reviewer 4: Approved
• Reviewer 5: Rejected

Final Status: Rejected
Only 1 approval exists. Even if the “Suggested Edit” changes to Approved, the maximum possible approvals would be 2, which is below the required 3.

Case 3

Individual reviewer decisions (5 reviewers):

• Reviewer 1: Approved
• Reviewer 2: Approved
• Reviewer 3: Rejected
• Reviewer 4: Approved
• Reviewer 5: Rejected

Final Status: Approved
There are 3 approvals, satisfying the minimum requirement.

Additional Notes

• All reviewer decisions remain visible to all reviewers.
• A question marked as Rejected remains rejected unless the creator edits and resubmits it for a new review cycle.

This approach ensures that final status is based on whether the required approval threshold can still be achieved—not on the order in which reviewers submit their decisions.

Editing Questions

Filtering by Review Status

You can filter questions using the Question Review Status filter to quickly locate items that require attention.
Available filter options:

• All
• Accepted
• Rejected
• Pending for Review
• Edit Suggested

This allows you to focus only on the questions relevant to your current task.

Editing Questions

Click the Edit icon to open the full question editor.

On the right panel, select Reviewer’s Comments to view:

• Overall review status
• Reviewer names
• Individual comments with timestamps

All reviewer comments are read-only and cannot be modified.

Editing an Accepted Question

If a question is already Accepted:

• You may edit and save it normally.
• The question remains Accepted.
• The review process is not triggered again.

This supports minor updates without restarting the approval workflow.

Editing and Resubmitting a Rejected Question

If a question is Rejected:

1. Edit the question based on reviewer feedback.
2. Enable the Save for Review toggle.
3. Click Save.

The question will:

• Be sent back to reviewers.
• Reset to Pending for Review status.
• Retain previous reviewer comments for reference.
• Allow reviewers to submit fresh decisions.

Editing or Deleting Active Questions (Used in Live Tests)

Only the creator can edit or delete questions that are currently active in live tests.

While Editing a Question

• A warning appears reminding you to ensure there are enough replacement questions available.

• • If sufficient replacements are not available, editing is blocked.
• If enough replacement questions exist:
• • Editing is allowed.
  • The edited question becomes inactive in the tests where it was previously used.
  • If the question bank requires review, the edited version is sent for review again.
    
    

• While Deleting a Question

  • If sufficient replacement questions are available, deletion is allowed.
    
    
  • If replacements are insufficient, a warning prompts you to maintain the required number before deletion can proceed.
    
    
  The behavior protects test integrity and prevents disruption to ongoing assessments.
  
  

  4. For Reviewers / SMEs

  Accessing Your Review Queue

  1. Navigate to My Questions.

  2. Click the Review Questions tab. This tab will be visible to all users, regardless of their current permissions.
     

  3. You will see all questions assigned to you for review, with question bank name, type, and current review status. Each question displays:
     

     1. Question ID

     2. Full question content (question text, purpose, options, explanations)

     3. Final answer explanation

     4. Type of question

     5. Review Status Label (Pending, Accepted, Rejected)

  A “document” icon with a tooltip showing each reviewer’s name and their action (Accepted, Rejected, Pending, Suggested Edits). This icon will remain disabled for users not having permissions to review a certain question.
  

  4. If no questions have been assigned yet, the tab shows: "No Questions assigned for review yet! When you are assigned questions for review, they appear here
  5. Use the My Review Status filter (All / Accepted / Rejected / Pending Review) in the right panel to sort your queue.
   
  

Reviewing a Question

1. Click the Review icon on the question you want to review.
   

2. The full question detail opens on the left side of the page — question text, options, answer, and explanation.

3. Click Reviewer’s Comments on the right to open the review panel.
   
   
   

4. Type your feedback in the comment box (up to 5,000 characters).

5. Select your decision: Accept, Reject, or Suggest Edit.

6. Click Submit Review. Your response is locked and saved.

Viewing Other Reviewers’ Feedback

After submitting, scroll down in the Reviewer’s Comments panel to see feedback from other reviewers. Comments are shown in descending date order (newest first) and are read-only.

When Review Is Complete

Once a question receives the minimum required number of approvals, the review panel locks automatically for all reviewers.

Message shown: "Review for this question is completed. No further action is required." You can still read all comments but cannot take further action.

Behavior post the review completion:

Approved questions for question banks with a review process are readily available to be used in the assessments.