A woman in an orange blazer looking at a tablet with financial data and options for selecting sales and expenses reports. Labels include 'Profit Ratio' formula, 'Sales - Expenses over Sales', and a dropdown menu with options 'Gross Sales' and 'Total Expenses'.

Assessment Calculations

Build and test advanced scoring calculations

Most assessments don’t need formulas, but for complex scoring, calculations offer full control. Assign values based on collected data, generate scores from responses, and automate logic for personalized feedback.

Running in the background, calculations can power charts, scores, dynamic text, and conditional questions, creating a smooth, customized assessment experience.

Two levels of calculations

Calculations have two levels in Brilliant Assessments.

A digital keypad with white buttons on a brown brick background, displaying answer options for a quiz or game, including 'Answer 1,' 'Answer 2,' parentheses, and division signs.

Result Calculations compute results, such as a Profit Ratio, by applying basic mathematical operations to numerical answers like subtraction and division.

Flowchart with decision-making process, starting with 'Case' and 'When' at the top, leading to 'Result' greater than .40, then 'Then' with 10, or 'Else' ending with 0.

Score Calculations are used to create a core using logic such as case statements. This creates a score based on the results calculations and the conditions of the case statement formula. One set of score calculations can define multiple score thresholds.

Setting up a result calculation

Calculations are created using dropdown selection to help you create formulas quickly without errors. We’ll use a profit ratio to illustrate.

A diagram showing the formula for profit ratio, which is sales minus expenses divided by sales.
Screenshot of a result calculation interface showing options for answer text and selecting between two options for sales and expenses. The selected answer is 'S1 SS1 Q10-A1-Gross Sales.'

Step One

First, select Sales and Expenses from the dropdowns and place them in the formula editor.  

Screenshot of a digital interface showing a calculation tool with two panels titled 'Result Calculation'. The left panel lists options under 'Operators' including functions like 'Functions', 'Logic', and various scores. The right panel lists 'Select Answer' with operator symbols such as '+', '-', '=', '*', '/', '%', and comparison symbols for greater than and less than.

Step Two

Next add the Operators to complete the formula.

A graphical interface for a calculation tool showing a formula to compute gross sales minus expenses, with buttons labeled Test, New Line, Copy Last Line, and Clear All. The result displayed is 0.4, with the SQL command used for calculation shown below.

Step Three

Then, test it by using sample inputs.

Setting up a score calculation

Let’s look at how we would generate a score based on the Profit Ratio.

A man with glasses and a brown shirt working on a laptop with a blurred office background. There is a speech bubble that says "When this happens..." and a caption below that says "...this is the result."

Draft your case statement

Case statements define conditions for assigning different scores based on the result calculation. The basic structure of a case statement is CASE WHEN (condition) THEN (result).

An example of a case draft for a profit ratio might be:

  • When the profit ratio is more than 40%, assign a score of 10 points

  • When Profit Ratios are 30% - 40%, assign a score of 5 points

  • When Profit Ratios are 20% - 30%, assign a score of 2.5 points

  • When Profit Ratios are less than 20%, assign a score of 0 points

A graphical user interface showing a score calculation program. It features dropdown menus for selecting operators and the option to repeat the last action. The main section contains a flowchart with conditions based on profit ratios, each leading to different numerical outcomes. Buttons labeled 'Test,' 'Copy Result,' 'New Line,' 'Copy Last Line,' and 'Clear All' are located below. A section at the bottom displays the calculated result of 7.5 and the corresponding SQL command used to generate this output.

Build the conditions

Now that we’ve built a tested results calculation and set out what we want to build, it’s time to assemble it. First, rebuild the result calculation and add the syntax for the first set of conditions.  

Use the New Line button for every new part of your statement. Each WHEN in a case statement should be on a new line.  This doesn't affect how the calculation runs, but it makes it more readable and means you can more easily duplicate similar lines for conditions.

When you add a tile, it will always be placed at the end, but you can drag and drop it to the correct position. You can delete a tile by clicking the x in the top right of the tile. Once you’ve completed the case, finalize the case statement with the END command.

After completing the case statements, test the entire formula using sample data. Ensure that the tool calculates the correct scores based on the Profit Ratio. When scores are used in a calculation, they are returned as a percentage by default e.g. 0.6 = 60%.  If you want the Likert equivalent, multiply the score by 5 (assuming your Potential Points = 5). 

Profitability report interface showing profit ratio of 40%, with dropdown options for questions, specific questions, and options.

Bring calculations into your feedback

Just like standard assessment questions, calculations can be conditional, associated with segmentations and report text can be defined for when a score is calculated on a results page or feedback report.

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