Navigating question content with a keyboard in the test driver

Some candidates with disabilities rely solely on keyboards to navigate their tests. In the Surpass test driver, candidates with accessibility requirements can use the keyboard to navigate the question content.

This article explains how to navigate question content with a keyboard.

Table of Contents

General keyboard shortcuts

These keyboard shortcuts apply across all areas of the test driver. 

Shortcuts	Description
Tab	Moves focus to the next interactive element.
Shift + Tab	Moves focus to the previous interactive element.
Enter or Space	Activates interactive element (e.g. button).
Ctrl + +	Zooms in.
Ctrl + -	Zooms out.
Ctrl + 0	Resets zoom.
↑ ↓	Scrolls page/area.
Esc	Closes dismissible popup.

Specific keyboard shortcuts

These keyboard shortcuts apply to certain item types. These are in addition to the general shortcuts listed above.

Essay

An Essay question asks candidates to provide an extended written response to a prompt.

When focus is in the response box:

Shortcuts	Description
Ctrl + b	Bold selected character.
Ctrl + u	Underlines selected character.
Ctrl + i	Italicises selected character.
Ctrl + a	Selects all characters.
Alt + F10	Moves focus to toolbar.

When focus is in the formatting toolbar:

Shortcuts	Description
← →	Moves between tools.
Enter or Space	Activates tool.
↑ ↓	Changes selection (in drop-down menus).
Tab or Esc	Moves focus to main text area.

Drag and Drop

A Drag and Drop question consists of text-based ‘drag options’ that candidates must place in the appropriate ‘drop zones’. The available drag options might include incorrect options that are not associated with any drop zone.

To move a drag option to a drop zone:

1. Tab to focus on the first drag option.
2. ← ↑ ↓ →  to choose the desired drag option.
3. Enter or Space to activate the drop zone menu.
4. ← ↑ ↓ → to choose the desired drop zone.
5. Enter or Space to move the drag option.

To move a drag option to a different drop zone or back to drag options: 

1. Tab to focus on the drop zone.
2. Enter or Space to activate the drop zone menu.
3. ← ↑ ↓ → to choose the desired drop zone.
4. Enter or Space to move the drag option.

Audio Capture

An Audio Capture question allows candidates to record a verbal response to a prompt. Candidates can record up to 60 minutes of audio.

Shortcuts	Description
← ↑ ↓ →	Moves progress slider.
Page Up	Increases progress slider by 10%.
Page Down	Decreases progress slider by 10%.
Home	Moves progress slider to minimum position.
End	Moves progress slider to maximum position.

Extended Matching

An Extended Matching question asks candidates to draw links between two lists of content. Candidates may be able to draw one or many links from and to each answer option.

To create a new link:

1. Tab to focus on an answer option from column 1.
2. Enter or Space to activate the answer option.
3. Tab to focus on an answer option from column 2.
4. Enter or Space to create the link.

To remove an existing link:

1. Tab to focus on an answer option with an existing link.
2. Enter or Space to activate the answer option.
3. Tab to focus on Remove .
4. Enter or Space to remove the link.

Hotspot

A Hotspot question asks candidates to find and select a specific part of an image. The correct area can be either rectangular or polygonal.

To add a Hotspot cursor:

1. Tab to focus on the image frame. 
2. Enter or Space to create a cursor. 

To move a Hotspot cursor:

1. ← ↑ ↓ → when the cursor has focus.

To remove a Hotspot cursor:

1. Tab to focus on the close icon. 
2. Enter or Space to remove the cursor.

Select From a List

A Select From a List question presents candidates with a string of text with certain words replaced by drop-down lists containing possible answers. At least one of these list items is the correct answer. The other list items are plausible but incorrect answers.

To choose an option:

1. Tab to focus on a drop-down list.
2. ← ↑ ↓ → to choose a list option.

Or:

1. Tab to focus on a drop-down list.
2. Enter or Space to open the list options.
3. ← ↑ ↓ → to highlight a list option.
4. Enter or Space to choose an option.

Table

A Table question lets candidates submit a data grid in response to a prompt. You can either provide a partially-filled table or give candidates the tools to create their own.

When focus is in the table area:

Shortcuts	Description
← ↑ ↓ →	Navigates between cells.
Shift + ← ↑ ↓ →	Highlights multiple cells.
Home	Focuses on the first cell of the row.
End	Focuses on the last cell of the row.
Ctrl + ← ↑ ↓ →	Jumps to first/last cell of the table.

Custom Question Type

Custom question types include a spreadsheet, pie chart, bar chart, line and scatter graph, hot text, diagram creator, and graph selector.

There are some known issues with keyboard functionality within CQT item types. These issues and workaround are listed below:

Issue	Workaround
Not all focused controls have a visible focus state	Users may need to manually keep track of focus as they navigate.
Some off-screen controls receive focus	Users may need to repeatedly press Tab to navigate past these controls.
Some functionality is not available to keyboard users	Users may need to use another input method (e.g. a mouse).
Focus is not always managed between pop-ups	Users may need to press Tab or Shift + Tab repeatedly to get to the desired control.

Spreadsheet (CQT)

The Spreadsheet custom question type lets you create, configure, and enter data into a spreadsheet. 

When focus is in the spreadsheet area:

Shortcuts	Description
← ↑ ↓ →	Navigates between cells.
Shift + ← ↑ ↓ →	Highlights multiple cells.
Home	Focuses on the first cell of the row.
End	Focuses on the last cell of the row.
Page Up	Scrolls up the spreadsheet.
Page Down	Scrolls down the spreadsheet.
Ctrl + ← ↑ ↓ →	Jumps to first/last cell of the table.