Online examination system that can mark both objective and essay-type questions

Online examination systems are replacing traditional methods of writing examinations. A lot of progress has been made in administering objective examinations online with a high rate of success. However, research is on-going as to the administration and grading of essay-type (subjective) examination. This is because computers do not have the ability to reason like humans in grading essay-type examinations with instant feedback. In most essay-type examination systems, the answers from the students need to be submitted to the examiners for grading which often takes time. In this study, we apply a keyword match approach using SQL MATCH AGAINST syntax to grade essay-type examination questions. The system also handles the grading of objective examinations. The proposed system offers many advantages over the traditional method of writing and grading exams including fast grading and instant result feedback to candidates