Overview

The Bow-tie Question, used in the NCLEX nursing exam, is an effective way of assessing learners' understanding of the relationship between distinct elements, such as cause and effect or input and output. This Question type is supported on Long Term Support versions 2024.3.LTS and onward.

Watch the "NCLEX Bowtie" demo video.

It allows learners to categorize a list of possible responses, in the form of words or images, into a bow-tie shaped table with a single central drop zone and four additional drop zones at the corners.

Learners drop two possible responses from Column 1 into Area 1, one possible response from Column 2 into Area 2, and two possible responses from Column 3 into Area 3.

Figure 1: Bow-tie Question example.

Create a Question

Enter a Question stem in the Compose question box. Then, the names of each drop area can be specified using the text boxes under 'Response area titles.' The text box with the placeholder text 'Area 1' specifies the text for the 'Area 1' drop zones on the bow-tie. See Figure 1 and 2.

Figure 2: Bow-tie basic parameters.

Under Response Groups 1, 2, and 3, enumerate the possible responses for each column. Pressing 'Add' adds another possible response whereas pressing the trash can icon will remove a response.

Figure 3: Defining possible responses for each column in bow-tie.

An example of a fully authored bow-tie Question is in Figure 4. The exterior columns must have at least two possible responses, and the interior column must have at least one.

Figure 4: An example bow-tie Question.

Validation

Follow these steps in order to configure Question validation:

• Insert a value in the Point(s) box to set up a mark for the Question. The default value is 1.
• The Correct tab holds a list of possible responses to be classified into categories. To validate the Question simply drag and drop responses into the correct category. Note that order (whether a correct response is in the top or bottom drop area) doesn't matter when validating a Question: as long as the correct responses are chosen, they can be given in any order. See example in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Validate area for Bow-tie.

Scoring

Scoring type menu can be found under More Options.

The following scoring types are available in Bow-tie Questions:

• Exact Match -Learner must answer all parts of the Question correctly to receive a mark. For example, if the Question is worth 1 point, the learner must provide the exact correct answer to earn the point.
• Partial match Per Element - Each response element will be awarded an individual score. For example, each response element (or drop zone) could be worth 1 point. If a learner selects all but one correct response, they will earn 4 points.

Other Scoring options:

• Unscored/Practice usage type - Enabling this option will remove all scoring from the Question.
• Penalty point(s) - The value entered here indicates marks that will be deducted from the learner for an incorrect response.
• Check answer button - If this is enabled, a "Check answer button" will appear to the learner alongside the Question; clicking this button will indicate to the learner if their answer is correct or incorrect, but it will not tell them the correct response. This can be useful for informal assessment.
• Check answer attempts - The value entered here will indicate how many times the learner can use the "Check answer button". A value of 0 indicates an infinite number of times.
• Minimum points if attempted¹ - Points awarded to the learner for attempting the Question, regardless of a correct or incorrect response.

'Extra' options

The extras section in the authoring interface allows you to add more information about the Question, information that we refer to as metadata.

There are a number of fields available: acknowledgements, contains math, distractor rationale, distractors, instructor stimulus, rubric reference, sample answer, and stimulus (review only).

To learn more about the options shown in the Extras section, see Understanding the Extras Section of the Question Editor.

1. Note: “Minimum points if attempted” replaces the earlier label “Minimum score if attempted”. Version added: v2026.1.LTS