A pool draws a random set of questions from one question bank every time a student starts a quiz attempt, so students taking the same quiz get equivalent but not identical questions. You create pools on the bank's Question Pools tab or from the quiz builder, then add them to a quiz with Add from Question Bank. This guide has four sections:
Introducing Pools
Creating a Pool
Adding Pools to a Quiz
Choosing Pool Sizes and Rebalancing
1. Introducing Pools
A pool belongs to a single question bank. When you create one, you set how many questions it draws at random from that bank. Each new attempt draws a fresh set, so the same student gets a different set of questions each time they retake the quiz. The pre-built quizzes and exams that come with Blended Teaching textbooks are built this way.
A few things to know:
A pool can draw a set number of questions, or every question in the bank with Select all questions from bank.
You can add as many pools as you want to a single quiz.
If the bank has questions with identical text, the pool skips the duplicates, so the same question never appears twice in one attempt.
Pools always draw from the current bank. A question you add or correct in the bank is available to the next attempt. Questions you add to a quiz one at a time keep the version you added.
2. Creating a Pool
You can create a pool from the question bank itself or while building a quiz. Both use the same form.
2.1. From the Question Banks page
Go to Question Banks in the Control Center.
Select Course Banks or Blended Banks at the top.
Search for the bank you want and open it.
Open the Question Pools tab and click Create Pool.
Give the pool a name and, if you like, a description.
Set Questions to Select (how many questions each student sees per attempt), or turn on Select all questions from bank. Then click Create Pool.
A new pool can't be saved when the bank has fewer questions than the number you asked for. An amber notice explains the shortfall: lower Questions to Select and try again.
2.2. While building a quiz
You can also create a pool without leaving the quiz you're working on:
On the quiz's Build tab, click Add from Question Bank.
Choose Course Banks or Blended Banks and search for the bank.
Select Pools, then click + New Pool.
Name it, set Questions to Select, and click Create Pool.
Click the blue + next to the new pool to add it to your quiz.
3. Adding Pools to a Quiz
You can add several pools to one quiz. This is useful for a quiz that covers more than one chapter, such as a midterm exam or an end-of-module quiz.
On the quiz's Build tab, click Add from Question Bank.
Search for the question bank where you created your pool.
Click the Pools button.
Find the pool you want and click the blue + button.
Your pool is now part of the quiz, and each new attempt draws from it.
4. Choosing Pool Sizes and Rebalancing
When a quiz draws from several pools, decide how many questions the whole quiz should have, then divide that across your pools. For example, a 40-question exam drawing from 4 chapter pools works out to 10 questions per pool.
To rename a pool or change how many questions it draws:
Open the bank and go to its Question Pools tab. The same form also opens from the quiz builder's Add from Question Bank panel.
Click the pencil icon on the pool's row.
Change the name, Questions to Select or Select all questions from bank, and save.
To delete a pool, click the trash icon on its row instead.
Resizing after students start: while no student has started a quiz that uses the pool, you can change its size without unpublishing the quiz. If the change would guarantee a repeated question, Publish with a repeated question? shows it: choose Return to pool settings to fix it, or check the acknowledgment and choose Save pool anyway. Once a student has started a quiz that uses the pool, a change that could introduce repeats is refused. Attempts students have already made are kept.
Keep each pool's bank large enough for its size. If a pool later has fewer matching questions than Questions to Select (for example, after you remove questions from the bank), students can't start a new attempt until you lower the count or add questions to the bank.
If you've reordered, added or removed course content and need your quizzes and exams to match, How to Update Exams After Reordering or Changing Course Modules walks through removing pools, adding pools and rebalancing.
Related Guides
A Guide to Question Banks: what banks are and how to find them.
Searching for Questions & Question Banks: find the right bank or question fast.
A Guide to Uploading Your Own Questions: bring in questions from Word, PDF or your LMS.
How to Update Exams After Reordering or Changing Course Modules: keep assessments in step with content changes.
Questions about pools? Ask Blended AI in your Control Center. How to Use Blended AI explains how.