The Targeted Retakes setting is for scored assessments (quizzes and checkpoints) that have multiple attempts. On Attempt 2 and later attempts, it only requires students to answer questions they previously answered wrong.


How the Targeted Retakes setting works

When Targeted Retakes is enabled, students take their first attempts just like normal. On subsequent attempts, all the questions they answered correctly are marked correct and disabled. Full credit is automatically granted for those questions. They can only answer the questions they got wrong on the previous attempt.

For example, if a student correctly answers questions 1-9 on a 10-question quiz in Attempt 1, then during Attempt 2 they only need to answer question 10. Questions 1-9 will be filled in automatically and cannot be changed. 


Here's an example of a correctly answered question that was disabled on Attempt 2.

The question was answered correctly, and it's now marked "Correct from prior attempt" and the student cannot change the answer.


Students are notified that Targeted Retakes has been enabled on the quiz's or checkpoint's Terms page. It reads:

"Targeted retakes are enabled. On later attempts, you will automatically receive credit for correct answers from prior attempts. If a question includes multiple parts, all parts must be answered correctly to be carried forward."


Students are also notified at the top of their subsequent attempts, where this language appears:

"Responses to questions that were correctly answered on a prior attempt have been carried over to this attempt and have been disabled. You will receive full credit for these questions on this attempt."


If the quiz or checkpoint uses question pools, students should expect to see new questions on subsequent attempts in place of the questions they answered incorrectly.

How to enable Targeted Retakes

Targeted Retakes can be set globally. It can also be applied to individual assessments or removed from them.

To set Targeted Retakes to all quizzes and checkpoints in a course, visit Manage Course > Change Assessment Options. Switch Targeted Retakes to YES.


To set Targeted Retakes at the individual quiz or checkpoint level, navigate to the assessment from the Syllabus page, the link in the Gradebook, or by navigating to it in the course. Click "Update setting for this assessment" and then click "Override" to change the current setting to YES or NO.


Important notes and exceptions


  • If a question includes multiple parts, the student must correctly answer all parts before its credit can be carried forward to subsequent attempts. If any of the parts is answered incorrectly, all parts must still be answered in the subsequent attempt. Here's an example of a multi-part question in which all parts were answered correctly and the student received credit on Attempt 2:
    The student answered all four parts of this question correctly in the last attempt, so they received credit for the question on this attempt. It's labeled with "Correct from prior attempt" and there are four checkmarks denoting correctness for the four parts.
  • If the instructor overrides the points scored on a question, the question will still be presented on the next attempt if the student initially got it wrong.
  • If the student finishes two or three attempts, and then Attempt 1 is deleted by the instructor, the student's next attempt will not incorporate their prior correct answers. OLI will treat the latest attempt as though it was Attempt 1, before there were any questions answered correctly.
  • Instructors should continue to monitor the feedback settings on assessments to ensure the timing of feedback-delivery is consistent with the experience they want for their students.