Completion time vs time limit
Dear HD, we have a timer on the quizzes we made, and it looks like it works fine.
However, on the results page, we often see completion times that are much longer than the time limit. For example, we use the time limit 900 seconds = 15 minutes. But just now we got a result by someone where the completion time is listed as 00:22:55. Another was over 4 hours!
We suspect that the timer does work as intended, judging from the answers. It doesn’t look like people would really spend that much time before clicking “Finish”. So it could be that something is off with way the completion time is calculated, but only under certain conditions we haven’t pinpointed.
The time constraint is important for the quality of our data, this is why we ask. Which should we trust: The time setting, or the completion time in the results page?
Thanks
Hi Björn,
I have done a bunch of testing today, and I’m pretty sure that the only way that this is possible is if there is a timezone mismatch. This basically means that your server was unable to accurately figure out the timezone of the quiz taker.
I have just pushed out an update to the addon and sent you an email with a direct download link.
The new version detects if you are using the timer feature. If the timer is active, then on quiz completion, we take a look at the difference between the time remaining and what the starting time was to get the completion time. It won’t be accurate to the millisecond, but it should avoid any server time issues altogether and work well for your use case.
NOTE: After updating, make sure to clear your site / browser caches to make sure that the new files are loaded.
Many thanks! I’ve installed the updated version. The old data is what it is, but if this works and I understand correctly, then new results should be within the stipulated time limit. Taking the time from the remaining value of the timer instead of the system time sounds like a great idea.
We got this error on about 15% of the results and I see no obvious pattern. The most important thing is that the timer itself works as it should, with the reported time being interesting but not essential.