Contents
Maths and LaTeX - Plugixa Exam
Write LaTeX and it renders as maths, anywhere a question has text: the stem, the options, the explanation and the rubric.
Writing it
Inline and display delimiters both work:
Solve \(x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0\) for \(x\).
\[ \int_{0}^{1} x^2 \,dx = \frac{1}{3} \]
Rendering happens in the browser, in the admin editor and in the runner alike, so what an author sees is what a candidate sees.
Fonts are local
The fonts KaTeX needs are bundled and served from your own site. Nothing is fetched from a CDN.
That matters for three reasons: the maths still renders on an exam machine with no outside network access, no third party learns who is sitting your exams, and there is one fewer external service to declare on your privacy page.
Where it does not apply
A LaTeX expression is text, so it is compared as text. Short-answer matching does
not understand that \frac{1}{2} and 0.5 are the same number.
If a candidate is typing a numeric answer, use the numeric matching mode with a tolerance rather than expecting them to type LaTeX. See Grading.
Without JavaScript
Rendering is a browser step, so with scripts off the candidate sees the LaTeX source rather than typeset maths. The paper still works and is still answerable, but it is worth knowing before you set a heavily mathematical exam on locked-down machines.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| Formulae show as raw source | The Maths capability is off, or JavaScript is disabled. |
| It renders in the admin but not the runner | Check the capability rather than the exam. Both use the same renderer. |
| A numeric answer is marked wrong | Text matching against LaTeX. Switch the question to numeric matching. |
| Fonts look wrong | They are served locally; check nothing is blocking your own /wp-content/ assets. |
What to do next
- Numeric answers done properly: Grading.
- Where formulae can appear: Questions.
- What survives with scripts off: Exam Runner.