PCjs Machines

Teachers give EXAM BANK an A+ because it takes the hassle out of
testing.  Its ability to quickly change test questions means that
teachers will never again need to give the same examination twice.  With
one extra keystroke, teachers can scramble the sequence of questions,
thus preparing two tests for the same class.  The program even generates
printed answer sheets.

Crossmatch questions are produced without hassle.  Matches are entered
side by side.  Each time the question is printed the program scrambles
both columns into a different order and then prints a correct answer
sheet.

EXAM BANK stores examination questions of the type most commonly used by
teachers and professors:  multiple choice, true/false, short answer,
essay and cross match.  It allows for complete editing or deletion and
replacement of previously written questions.  Best of all, EXAM BANK's
question entry screens have wordprocessing features and full cursor
control key usage.

HOW TO REACH ME

I can be contacted in the following ways:

My mail address is

Jess Kitchens
Education Software
P. O. Box 64205
Sunnyvale, CA 94088

or, you can leave electronic mail for me on COMPUSERVE

Jess Kitchens
User ID:  73760,463




COMBINE - A UTILITY FOR REGISTERED EXAM BANK USERS

COMBINE is a program for combining Exam Bank Files.

It will allow you to combine your Exam Bank files into
aggregate files for the preparation of midterms, finals, etc.

For example, you may wish to combine:

             CHAP1
             CHAP2
             CHAP4
             CHAP6
      and    CHAP9

to produce   MIDTERM2

COMBINE makes this an automated process.  You make as many
different combinations as you wish.

Unless your files are small, a hard disk or large capacity
floppy disk is required for enough working room.

COMBINE is NOT a shareware program.  It will be sold only
to registered users.  The price is $5.00 plus $5.00 shipping
and handling (Total $10.00), payment in advance.  At this price
I will not respond to purchase orders, submit invoices, etc.
Orders from non-registered users will be rejected.

Type REGISTER at the DOS prompt to print an order blank.


Disk No: 1631                                                           
Disk Title: Exam Bank                                                   
PC-SIG Version: S1.2                                                    
                                                                        
Program Title: Exam Bank                                                
Author Version: 1.3                                                     
Author Registration: $40.00                                             
Special Requirements: 300K RAM.                                         
                                                                        
Teachers give EXAM BANK an A+ because it takes the hassle out of        
testing.  Its ability to quickly change test questions means that       
teachers will never again need to give the same examination twice.  With
one extra keystroke, teachers can scramble the sequence of questions,   
thus preparing two tests for the same class.  The program even generates
printed answer sheets.                                                  
                                                                        
Crossmatch questions are produced without hassle.  Matches are entered  
side by side.  Each time the question is printed the program scrambles  
both columns into a different order and then prints a correct answer    
sheet.                                                                  
                                                                        
EXAM BANK stores examination questions of the type most commonly used by
teachers and professors:  multiple choice, true/false, short answer,    
essay and cross match.  It allows for complete editing or deletion and  
replacement of previously written questions.  Best of all, EXAM BANK's  
question entry screens have wordprocessing features and full cursor     
control key usage.                                                      
                                                                        
PC-SIG                                                                  
1030D East Duane Avenue                                                 
Sunnyvale  Ca. 94086                                                    
(408) 730-9291                                                          
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.                                         

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                 <<<<  Disk #1631  EXAM BANK  >>>>                       ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To start program, type:  EB (press enter)                               ║
║                                                                         ║
║ To print documentation, type:  PRMANUAL (press enter)                   ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

MUSINGS OF MY MIND, or
THE DOCTOR IS IN, 5 CENTS PLEASE

I have always been intrigued with the idea of shareware.  It's
much like public television, which I've always thought was about
the only thing on the tube worth watching.  Give it (your
software) your best shot, pass it out to everyone, and enough
people will appreciate your efforts to support you in doing some
more.  Everyone benefits.

As I prepare to release Version 1.3 of Exam Bank, I must reflect
a little on where Education Software (that's just me, Jess) is
going.

I have invested about two thousand hours, plus several thousand
dollars for disks, mailers, and postage, in preparing and
distributing Exam Bank.  I admit it was a grand experiment.
I have had other options.

Early, when Version 1.0 was just about a reality, Scott Foresman,
the textbook publisher, became very interested in buying the
program as an incentive for teachers to use their textbooks.
I didn't do it, for two reasons.  First, they wanted me to write
EB also for the Macintosh, and I wasn't particularly interested.
Second, I felt I couldn't be as creative - I was sure that
somehow the program would be channeled in a way that only those
whom Scott Foresman wished to have it would have it.

I am grateful to Scott Foresman, however, for a critical review
of EB.  At the time, only a "first line" menu was available
for selecting questions for a test.  They criticized the
inability to see the whole question while selecting, so I added
the "View" option.

Later, I had a letter from a user, a three time author for
John Wiley and Sons, who thought he would like to distribute
Exam Bank and a set of questions and answers with his textbook.
He approached his editor at Wiley, who had said they ordinarily
were not interested in this sort of thing, but in this instance
might be interested anyway.  At the time, I was getting into full
swing with the distribution of EB.  Significant changes would
have had to be made to the program, and I was excited about the
possibilities of my own scheme, and I let it pass.

I knew where my customers were.  In schools!  And school
directories can be obtained for every state.  I sent hundreds,
then thousands of EB copies to school principals and Education
Departments at Colleges, asking them to share it with their
colleagues, and asking for a $30 fee from those who used it.
(It was less of a program then than it is now).  My intention
was that the recipients would pass it around, and interested
teachers would register.

More often than I would have a teacher register, I would have
a SCHOOL register.  I even had a few school DISTRICTS send me
$30 for registration.  In a year, I have not yet had enough
registrations to pay for the postage, much less the disks and
mailers, or anything at all for my time.

I am delighted that Exam Bank has proved useful to teachers
from Canada to South Africa (no, I don't know how it got there).
But I get letters from everywhere, sometimes wanting multiple
choice to have six answers, sometimes more lines for the
question.  Or problems.  The most commonly occuring problem
is the failure to use a config.sys file as described in the
manual and the readme.doc file.  I have always answered these
letters, solved the problems, and sent the latest version of
the program just to be sure.  Usually, this is the last I
ever hear from this person.  These  letters ("If I just
knew what to do about this, I would register...") outnumber
registrations four to one.

I am at a crossroads.  While I am working on the next
application, I will be judging whether the effort and money
I have invested in this method of marketing was worth it.
If I do not at least meet expenses and make a small return
on my many hours of work, I must look for other outlets.

Shareware software doesn't get any better than this, I'm
sure you'll agree.  Thousands of you are using this
program every week.  A few tens of you have registered
to help make more of this possible.  If you haven't
registered, I hope you will reconsider.

                             Jess Kitchens


Thanks for trying Exam Bank  v.1.3!


WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO GET STARTED

All Exam Bank files (including this one) must be located in
the program directory, or the program will not run.  That's
the only way in the shareware world to make sure that all
the files stay together.

EXAM BANK must open ten or more files at one time.  The
DOS default allows only eight files open at one time.  The number
of open files allowable may be changed by locating a file called
(exactly) CONFIG.SYS in the ROOT directory of your BOOT disk
(Drive A for floppy disk users, or Drive C if you have a hard
disk.  Although some of your software may run without a
CONFIG.SYS file, one is required for this program.  

Modify your CONFIG.SYS file, if necessary, to include the
line:
FILES = 15
(or a larger number)

A CONFIG.SYS file containing only the line 'FILES = 15' is
included on the EXAM BANK disk for your convenience.  If you
don't have this file on your boot disk, you may copy this
one to the ROOT directory of your BOOT disk.  It is not
needed in the same directory as the program files.

Your computer's performance may improve if your CONFIG.SYS
file also contains the line:

BUFFERS=15

although this is not absolutely necessary to run the program.


If this is confusing to you, get someone who is comfortable
with computers to help you set up your CONFIG.SYS file.

Reboot your computer after you have made these changes.


FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS QUESTIONS

A registered user of Exam Bank has suggested the addition
of fill-in-the-blanks questions as an option.  That
capability has already existed, although we didn't
previously show any examples.

To make a fill-in-the-blanks question, just select write-
short answer.  Write the question using the underline for
the blank.  It will look something like this:

Question -

The _______________ is the highest executive office of the
Dutch Republic.

Key Elements In Answer -

stadholder

Number of lines for student - (Enter < 1 > for proper
question spacing.

That's all you need to do.  Three questions of this
type have been added to the short answer question file
to illustrate how this works.


HARD DISK USERS NOTE!!!!!

A few persons have reported the program bombing out when
they attempted to set it up on their hard disk.  The reason
was that the data subdirectory did not exist at the time
Exam Bank was started.  The program is not coded to set up
the subdirectory if it doesn't already exist, so if you
specify a non-existent sub directory, the program quits and
dumps you back to DOS with an error message.


The error message has now been made specific so that
there will be no confusion.  You should, however, set
up your data subdirectory with the 'make directory' command
prior to starting Exam Bank if you wish to put your data
on the hard disk. (MD C:\EBDATA   for example).

Then start EB from within the PROGRAM sub-directory and all
is well.  You only have to set up the subdirectory once.

This does not apply to persons storing their data files on
floppy disks without subdirectories.


PRINTING A MANUAL

While in the program directory, turn your printer on and
type   PRMANUAL <Enter>.  The Exam Bank manual (about
25 pages) will be printed.


RUNNING THE PROGRAM

You should as a minimum read the "Jump Start" page of
the manual before running the program.  Then, while in the
program directory, type  EB <Enter>.



REGISTRATION

Show your support for writers of quality shareware programs
by registering your copy.  While in the program directory,
turn your printer on and type  REGISTER <Enter> to print a
registration form.  A fee of $40 is requested from
individuals who use this program in their work.  School
registrations are $70 for schools with enrollments less
than 2000 students, and $100 for schools with more than 2000
students.  School registrations entitle all faculty to use
Exam Bank without further payment, and provide the same
benefits for upgrades and future releases from Education
Software.


SHARE THE PROGRAM WITH OTHERS

Please share complete copies of Exam Bank with your
colleagues in the field of education.


Thanks

Jess Kitchens
Education Software
P. O. Box 64205
Sunnyvale, CA 94088


 Volume in drive A has no label
 Directory of A:\

EB       EXE    134826   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMBANK OV1        26   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMBANK OV2      3968   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMBANK OV3      1358   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMBANK OV4      3968   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMBANK OV5     44187   3-25-90   2:00p
PRMANUAL EXE     50495   3-25-90   2:00p
REGISTER BAT       139   3-25-90   2:00p
-------- ---         0   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMPLE  MC      16401   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMPLE  TF       5220   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMPLE  SA      14996   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMPLE  ES       3900   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMPLE  CM       2160   3-25-90   2:00p
EXAMPLE  DFL       196   3-25-90   2:00p
-------  ---         0   3-25-90   2:00p
CONFIG   SYS        12   3-25-90   2:00p
------   ---         0   3-25-90   2:00p
ADDRESS  DOC       260   3-25-90   2:00p
COMBINE  DOC       970   3-25-90   2:00p
MUSINGS  DOC      4168   3-25-90   2:00p
README   DOC      4333   3-25-90   2:00p
WHATSNEW DOC      1778   3-25-90   2:00p
GO       BAT        38   1-01-80   1:37a
GO       TXT       540   4-22-90   5:32a
FILE1631 TXT      2443   4-22-90   6:50p
       26 file(s)     296382 bytes
                       11264 bytes free