Numbas is an easy way to create online tests.
Numbas is an online assessment system designed for mathematical subjects.
Developed by mathematicians at Newcastle University, Numbas is free to use and open-source.
Create a test in the online editor
Share a link with your students, or upload it to your learning environment
Students get randomised questions in their browser
Answers are marked automatically and feedback is instant
I chose Numbas because of the very positive feedback from our testing with our very critical master students in teaching. For me Numbas is easily accessible, easy to create tasks, convenient and it is easy for students to use.
Dr Morten Brekke, Agder University, Norway
Fellow classmates and myself discussed how maths was more enjoyable through Numbas and how we were able to retain the material for our final exam.
Student, Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland
Students have responded really well to the maths resources on our student support website; these are consistently the most visited pages. Students have commented on the opportunity to put into practice what they have just learned through the formative Numbas tests included in the section.
Claire Irving, ASK student support project coordinator, Newcastle University
As a lecturer, I find Numbas to be user-friendly, even for someone like me, with no programming background. Since we have started to implement Numbas as an assessment tool, the administrative burden of continuously assessing approximately 1800 students every week has almost entirely disappeared.
Ione Loots, Engineering lecturer, University of Pretoria, South Africa
We choose to use Numbas for our project because it has a strong reputation, is user friendly and is compatible with the Virtual Learning Environments used at both of our campuses. Numbas is an open source tool with a large community of users and an extensive bank of resources.
Deirdre Casey, Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland
Used all over the world
Numbas is used in over 1,000 educational institutions around the world, to support subjects from algebra to zoology.
In use for over a decade, Numbas is well-tested and stable, so you can be confident that tests will go off without a hitch.
Students consistently rate Numbas as easy to use and a helpful tool for learning.
See case studies
No code
Create questions using the graphical editor with no code.
It’s really easy to get started.
Get started with the editor
Randomised questions
Randomisation makes a different question each time.
In high-stakes exams, giving each student a different version of a question prevents them copying each other’s work.
For formative learning, students can use randomised questions as an inexhaustible supply of examples to try.
Dynamic assessment
“Explore mode” questions allow the student to choose their own path through an activity.
“Diagnostic mode” exams react to the student’s performance to choose appropriate questions.
Adaptive marking and alternative answers help you to give specific feedback to students, and award partial credit when they’re almost right.
Try an explore mode question Try a diagnostic mode exam
Rich interaction
It's easy to include graphics, videos and interactive diagrams in Numbas questions.
Integrations with GeoGebra and JSXGraph allow you to display randomise interactive diagrams and link them to marking.
See how interactive media can be embedded in Numbas
Open resources
Reuse the thousands of tests and individual questions shared under Creative Commons licences in the public database.
Explore the public database
Works online and offline
Numbas works without an internet connection.
Tests run entirely in the student’s browser, so if their network connection breaks there’s no problem: they can continue answering questions, and the data will be saved as soon as the connection is restored.
Plenty of answer types
Numbas automatically marks answers, immediately.
Answer types include numbers, mathematical expressions, multiple choice, .
You can customise the marking for individual question parts, or make up a whole new answer type.
Check out the built-in part types
In your language
Numbas has been translated into 19 languages and counting, from the labels on the interface down to the notation for decimal numbers.
Find out how to help translate Numbas
Loads of maths features
Numbas was created to assess mathematics, so it’s got loads of maths features.
A computer algebra system and sophisticated pattern-matcher make it easy to generate and manipulate randomised mathematical expressions.
See the mathematical functions available in Numbas
Accessible
Nobody should be excluded from online learning because of who they are.
The Numbas interface works well with assistive technology by default, and has been carefully designed to accommodate a wide range of accessibility requirements.
Read our accessibility statement
LTI integration
The Numbas LTI tool makes it easy to add Numbas assessments to virtual learning environments such as Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle and Brightspace.
You can view each student's attempt exactly as they saw it, see class-wide statistics, and automatically re-mark if you make a mistake.
If you can't install the LTI tool, Numbas works with any SCORM 2004 player or standalone.
Find out about the Numbas LTI provider See how to deliver exam Numbas to your students
Customise it
Extensions provide more functionality, such as libraries of mathematical functions or new types of interaction.
Themes allow you to change the look and feel of the interface, or completely change how an exam is delivered.
Find out more about extensions Find out more about themes
Open source
All of the Numbas software is open source, available under the Apache 2.0 licence.
There are plenty of ways to contribute: suggest a feature; fix a bug; translate into a new language; or improve the documentation.
Contribute to Numbas