Quizlet’s flashcard review interface can solicit responses in a few different modalities: multiple choice, text input, and self-graded.
The first time a student reviews a term, they respond with multiple choice (the distractors are generated by using other cards’ answers—a simple but sometimes oddly-behaving choice). The goal is to give them a greater chance of success on their first try, then once the memory is somewhat encoded, to increase the difficulty.
On subsequent presentations, Quizlet asks the student to generate the response. This typically happens through text input, but sometimes the system will allow the student to self-grade (e.g. if the answer is very long, or if it’s visual instead of text-based). The rationale given is that typing in the answer might help the student remember it more solidly.
Q. When does Quizlet use multiple-choice prompts?
A. On the first repetition.
Q. How does Quizlet generate the distractors for its multiple-choice prompts?
A. They’re selected from answers to other prompts in the set.
Q. When does Quizlet allow students to self-grade?
A. When a prompt’s answer is too long, or when it’s image-based.
Selecting Question Formats to Maximize the Testing Effect | Quizlet