Frequently Asked Questions

If you can't find an answer to your question here, you can contact us or send e-mail to support@helpteaching.com.

Registration & Profile

Membership & Pricing

Help Teaching Pro

Using Help Teaching

Math Equations

Questions

Question Voting

Groups

Tests

Lessons

Badges


Registration & Profile

Q: Why should I register?
A: Help Teaching enables you to create and save your own questions and tests. In order for Help Teaching to establish and maintain an account for you, so that you may access your questions and tests whenever you want, you must register and become a member. Non-members can only browse questions.
Q: What fields are required and why?
A: Three fields are required: Username, E-Mail Address and Password. Only the Username is public. Your E-Mail Address and Password will remain private. You can change both your e-mail address and password after registering.
Q: What's a "Username" and how will it be used?
A: Your Username is a name that you provide that identifies you as the owner of the account, when paired with your password. Your Username does not have to be your real name. The Username is the only identifier that is public and that will be displayed when you log in to Help Teaching.

Membership & Pricing

Q: Is Help Teaching free?
A: We offer many free printable worksheets and site membership to Help Teaching is free. With membership, users can use Test Maker to create and store custom printables. Subscriptions are available at an annual rate.
Q: What is included in site membership?
A: Free membership allows you to create an unlimited number of questions to use in your tests and worksheets. It also allows you to create an unlimited number tests with up to 5 questions per test using your questions or those from Help Teaching's extensive library.
Q: How do I cancel my membership?
A: If you no longer want to use your free membership account, you might want to opt out of our newsletter. To check your e-mail preferences click on your username in site header and then follow "E-mail Settings" link. If you are opted out of our newsletter, you will never be contacted and no further action is needed. If you are a subscriber, see answer to How can I cancel my subscription?.

Help Teaching Pro

Q: What is Help Teaching Pro?
A: In addition to site membership benefits, Help Teaching Pro provides additional premium benefits. With a Pro subscription you can 1) create an unlimited number of tests with up to 100 questions each 2) include any of the 1000+ images from various categories or use existing questions with images 3) download and save tests and worksheets in PDF format. 4) Access our premium worksheets, which are common core standards aligned (Math and ELA) or use high-quality images (Science).
Q: What is Help Teaching Group Pro?
A: Group Pro is a premium subscription allowing schools and businesses to get group licenses for many users at highly discounted rates. For more information, see this page.
Q: How much does Help Teaching Pro cost?
A: Help Teaching Pro is available for an annual subscription rate of $60.
Q: How much does Help Teaching Group Pro cost?
A: Help Teaching Group Pro is available for an annual subscription rate of $249 for up to 30 users. Please contact us if you would like a plan supporting more than 30 users.
Q: What are my payment options?
A: You can pay for Help Teaching Pro with a debit/credit card or with PayPal.
Q: How do I add images to questions?
A: There are three ways to add images to questions:
  1. While editing a question, click on an image thumbnail in the Images module on the left.
  2. Type the name of an image between [img] and [/img].
  3. Upload your own custom images. While creating or editing a question, click on the My Images tab, then the Upload An Image button.
For more information, see our guide on How to Add Images to Questions.
Q: What does it mean to make a question private?
A: Member-generated content can be found by Browsing or Searching for questions on our site. If you don't want anyone to find or use your question, make it private.
Q: What if I need an image you don't have?
A: You can upload your own custom images to use in questions you create. While creating or editing a question, click on the My Images tab, then the Upload An Image button.
Q: Can I try out subscriber benefits without subscribing?
A: Yes. Test Maker features and site content can be used and evaluated with a free membership. All premium content that is accessible to Pro plan subscribers is viewable to non-subscribers, but can not be downloaded or printed.
Q: How can I cancel my subscription?
A: You can cancel your subscription at any time - just contact support@helpteaching.com and we'll cancel future renewals for you.
Q: What is your refund policy?
A: Because access to benefits is instant and all content and features can be evaluated with a free membership without subscribing, we do not issue refunds on subscriptions or renewals to Pro or Group Pro plans. If you have a question, please contact us here.

Using Help Teaching

Q: What are the browser requirements for using Help Teaching?
A: See our guide on How to Choose a Browser.
Q: What are cookies and why do I need them?
A: Cookies are small pieces of information that a web site stores temporarily on your computer. A cookie's main objective is to identify users and to personalize their visit to Help Teaching. In order to use Help Teaching, cookies will need to be enabled within your web browser. See our guide on How To Enable Cookies.
Q: What do I do if I forgot my password?
A: If you forgot your password, click on Reset your password and enter the e-mail associated with your membership. Help Teaching will e-mail you in a couple of minutes. Click on the link in the e-mail and you will be taken to a page where you can reset your password.
Q: Why am I not receiving e-mails from Help Teaching?
A: Add info@helpteaching.com to your Approved Senders list. Check for our e-mails in your Junk/Spam folder.

Math Equations

Q: How do I format math questions so that they display and print properly?
A: See our guide on How To Write Math Equations.

Questions

Q: Can I create short-answer questions?
A: You can't create short-answer questions directly, however you can format your open-ended questions as short-answer. To format your open-ended questions as short-answer on your printed test, click on the OPTIONS tab when viewing your test and click on the checkbox labeled Format open-ended questions as short-answer.
Q: Who develops the questions on Help Teaching?
A: Questions are added by members of Help Teaching as well as freelancers we hire to create content.
Q: How do I know answers to questions are correct?
A: Help Teaching makes every effort to ensure that the answers to questions are accurate. From time to time, human error does occur. Members must use their own judgment on the accuracy of a question and its answer.
Q: How do I create a question?
A: After signing in, click on the Create tab, then on Question. Select a question type (Fill-In-The-Blank, Multiple-Choice, Open-Ended or True or False) and click create question. Complete the form by entering your question, the category, the grade level and the answer(s). Click save to immediately save your question or preview to preview the question's formatting. Once your question has been saved, you may add the question to a new or existing group or a new or existing test.
Q: How do I find and edit a question I created a while ago?
A: After signing in, click on the My Content tab, then on My Questions. Questions are displayed according to the category you assigned. Click on the category to see all of the questions you created in that category.
Q: Can I bold or underline a word or phrase within a question?
A: Not at this time. Consider typing the word of phase in upper case.
Q: What if my question does not fit into one of your categories?
A: If your question does not fit into any of the Help Teaching categories, please contact us with your question and category suggestion. In the meantime, add your question to the Other category.
Q: Why did my question's category change?
A: Help Teaching staff reviews questions to ensure they are assigned to a relevant category. We may change the category if we believe the question was saved incorrectly.
Q: What is a keyword?
A: Keywords are used in conjunction with search to help you find questions which have something in common.

Question Voting

Q: What are thumbs up and thumbs down icons for?
A: You can click on the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to vote for a question:
You should vote thumbs up if you think this question has correct spelling/grammar/phrasing/formatting, a correct answer, and is in an appropriate category.
You should vote thumbs down if you think this question has poor spelling/grammar/phrasing/formatting, or has an incorrect answer, or is in the wrong category.
Once you've voted, the icon will turn green, thumbs up, or red, thumbs up, depending on how you voted.
Q: Why should I vote for questions?
A: There are two reasons why you should vote for questions:
  1. Your vote is used to help us determine a question's quality. Questions with the highest votes will appear at the top when browsing.
  2. When you vote down a question, the question is automatically removed from our site and sent to our content moderators for review. If the question is deemed inappropriate, it will be permanently removed from our site. If the question is poorly formatted, contains incorrect spelling or grammar, or is in the wrong category, we may correct the mistake and place the question back on our site.

Groups

Q: What is a group?
A: A Group is a set of two or more questions with common instructions and/or reference text. A group can not contain duplicate questions.
Q: How do I create a group?
A: After signing in, click on the Create tab, then on Group. Name your group and click create group. Add questions to your group by either creating new questions, selecting questions you have already created and saved in My Content or by browsing and selecting Help Teaching's extensive database of questions. To add a question to a group, just click on the question.
Q: How do I add or edit common instructions and/or reference text?
A: Add any instructions or reference information that you would like to apply to all the questions in your group by clicking on the EDIT tab at the top of your group.
A: To print a group you must first add the group to a test.

Tests

Q: What is a test?
A: A Test is an set of questions and/or groups which can be customized for printing. A test can not contain duplicate questions or groups.
Q: How do I create a test?
A: After signing in, click on the Create tab, then on Test. Name your test and click create test. Add questions to your test by either creating new questions, selecting questions you have already created and saved in My Content, or by browsing and selecting Help Teaching's extensive database of questions. To add a question or group to a test, just click on the question or group.
A: Click on the PRINT tab when viewing your test. Click on the printer icon in the Print Instructions module on the left. You may also want to see our guide on How To Change Browser Print Settings to customize headers and footers.
Q: How do I prevent a question from being split across multiple pages?
A: Click on the ARRANGE tab and insert a page break before the question being split.
Q: How do I e-mail a test to a teacher or student?
A: While viewing a test, click on the SHARE tab. Enter the person's e-mail address and click share test. The recipient will receive an e-mail with a link to the test you shared. He or she does not have to be a member of Help Teaching to view the test. The test answer key will not be sent.
Q: How do I control the amount of space between questions on my printed test?
A: When creating an open-ended question, you can specify the number of lines below your question. For all other question types, the space between each question is determined for you.
Q: Can I control the number of columns on my printed test?
A: You can arrange questions in two columns by clicking on the OPTIONS tab, then selecting the check box labeled "Arrange questions in two columns."
Q: Can I control the font on my printed test?
A: You can select from several font styles and sizes under the Settings tab of your test.
Q: How do I assign an online test?
A: Help Teaching subscribers may administer online tests to individuals or classes via Test Room. Select the buttons in the Test Room Shortcuts module on the left side of your screen to get started. Tests can also be assigned by selecting the Schedule icon located at the top of the open test.

Lessons

Q: How do I assign lessons to students?
A: Select the Assign icon located on the far right of the lesson name or at the top of the opened lesson. You have the option of inviting specific students via e-mail, or of sharing a public link to the lesson in any way you prefer.
Q: Do my students need Help Teaching accounts in order to take lessons?
A: No. When you assign a lesson, students are invited via e-mail or a public link you share with them. Students will be prompted to enter their names once they start the lesson so you may monitor their progress.
Q: How do I know if my students completed the lesson?
A: You can access lesson reports by selecting the Report tab at the top of the lesson or via Test Room. Select the Manage Scheduled Lessons button under Test Room Shortcuts. Then, select the report icon under Actions. Lesson reports can also be accessed by opening the lesson and selecting the Report icon at the top of the lesson. You will see the names of students who completed the lesson, the date, time spent on the lesson, and whether they tried the practice questions in the lesson.

Badges

Q: What are badges?
A: Members can earn badges by creating questions and groups, as well as editing existing questions. Each badge is worth a different amount of reputation points. When you earn enough reputation points you will be able to use additional features of our site such as vote questions down.

5 reputation points = blue star
15 reputation points = green star
25 reputation points = orange star

Q: What is reputation?
A: A member's reputation allows him or her to use additional features on the Help Teaching site. It also helps other members make question choices based on the author's reputation. Each badge is worth a certain amount of reputation points. The number of reputation points each member has earned is represented by a blue, green or yellow star next to their username.