AI Grading System 'testus' Now Supports Automatic Grading of Chemical Formulas

Microsimulation Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yoshimasa Kimura) has launched a new automatic grading feature for chemical formulas within its AI-powered grading system, 'testus'.

Previously, 'testus' supported automatic grading for symbols, multiple-choice questions, descriptive answers, and a wide range of mathematical equations, from mixed fractions and simultaneous equations to calculus. With this update, the system can now automatically grade answers containing element symbols, chemical formulas, and isotope notations, further supporting science teachers in their grading tasks.

Background of Development In chemistry assignments, it is necessary to accurately read multiple elements such as atomic types, counts, electric charges, and mass numbers, and evaluate them based on their relationships. Chemical formulas, in particular, were difficult for conventional digital grading systems to recognize and judge because their meaning changes depending on the positioning of characters.

To address this challenge, 'testus' adopted an approach that analyzes chemical formulas as meaningful structured data rather than mere character strings. This allows the system to structurally grasp atomic types, counts, ion charges, and isotope mass numbers, realizing the automatic grading of answers containing chemical formulas.

Key Features of the New Function 1. Understanding Chemical Formulas as 'Structures' Converts chemical formulas in answers into semantic expressions and analyzes elements such as atomic types, mass numbers, ion charges, and atomic counts. It judges correctness based on chemical meaning, not just visual matching. 2. Supporting Diverse Answer Formats Supports answers in chemistry fields that were previously difficult to grade automatically, such as element symbols, chemical formulas, and isotope notations, aiding grading for middle and high school science tests and entrance exams. 3. Intuitive Grading Setup Correct answers are displayed with actual subscripts and charges rather than as standard strings, allowing teachers to verify notations visually while setting them up. 4. Seamless Integration with Existing Functions Can be used in combination with existing 'testus' features such as automated grading for symbols, mathematical formulas, automatic generation of grading criteria, and personalized feedback.

Future Outlook The company is also considering support for electron formulas and various reaction equations. It will continue to expand functions to handle more advanced chemical answers, including chemical reaction equations, half-reactions, and chemical equilibrium equations.