Exam creation?

[stackingtens]

I'm teaching a lecture course as an adjunct at a local university. I have taught in the department in the past, but nothing with the format of this course (previous courses were studio or design courses)... plus, this is a new course so I am creating it from scratch.

As a result, I have to create our exams, which is something I've never done before.  Wondering if anyone has any tips/tricks for the actual document creation?  How to organize your questions and potential answers?  I'm overwhelmed at the prospect of getting started.

Also, wondering about the importance in having multiple versions so that students seated next to each other are working on the same questions but in different order, etc?

The test format will primarily be multiple choice/matching concepts/slide identification, with 1-2 short answer questions at the end.

Would love any tips or trusted practices that help you make the test writing not so overwhelming!

[mmp]

Never used them, but have seen these:

www.easytestmaker.com/

www.schoolhousetech.com/test/

[Jalapeñomel]

I use WizardTM and ProblemAttic but they may be geared toward the Regents only.

What do you teach?

[stackingtens]

This course is Introduction to Design for Consumers. Most of my students are fashion majors or housing majors (my field is residential design) but the dept added this course to fulfill one of the Gen Ed requirements, so it's a survey of general design principles and the design process, mainly.