Generating multiple choice questions

Purpose

You can use generative AI to create multiple-choice questions related to your class content in order to review and reinforce learning, assess your level of knowledge and help prepare for upcoming assessments. This allows you to recall the class content actively and helps consolidate your understanding and memory of the material. Multiple-choice questions can assist you in identifying areas of strength and areas that require further study. They can also simulate the format and style of actual exams, helping you become familiar with the types of questions you might encounter.

Prompt

Note: The following prompts were tested with Microsoft Copilot for Web, but are suitable for most language-based generative AI tools. 

Make sure you modify the prompts below to suit your unit and the concepts you'd like to review.

Act as a tutor in a first year university software engineering course. Ask me multiple choice questions that will test my application of fundamental software engineering concepts. After I respond, give me feedback on my answer. Your questions should target common misconceptions in software engineering.

Acting as a tutor in a third-year university biology course, test my knowledge of cellular respiration. After I respond, please provide feedback on my answer.

Acting as a tutor in a business administration class, please assess my knowledge of marketing concepts by providing me with multiple choice questions around the pricing mix. When I respond, please provide feedback on my answer.

Follow up prompts can include submitting the answer to the multiple choice question generated by the AI. You can also ask further questions to understand the answer, e.g. "Why did I get this wrong? Why is C the correct answer?"

Explanation

This prompt instructs the AI by giving it a role ('tutor in a first-year software engineering course'), task ('ask me multiple choice questions') with requirements ('test my knowledge of fundamental software engineering concepts') and instructions ('when I respond, provide me with feedback'). It allows you to interact with the AI as a simulated tutor who can help you understand key concepts and provide feedback when you insert an incorrect answer. 

Make sure to exercise your own judgment and understanding of the class content to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the multiple-choice questions which the AI creates.

Examples