How do I create a Canvas quiz from a PDF?

Upload the PDF to a quiz generator, let it write the questions from that document, then move the finished questions into Canvas. Canvas itself has no way to read a PDF and turn it into questions, so the writing step happens outside Canvas. Once you have the questions and answer key, you either paste them into the Canvas quiz editor or import them as a QTI package.

Can you import quiz questions into Canvas?

Yes. Canvas natively imports quizzes and questions from QTI packages uploaded as a .zip file. Classic Quizzes exports and imports QTI 1.2. In New Quizzes you can import a QTI package to create a new quiz or to load questions into an item bank, though a QTI import cannot modify a quiz that already exists.

What file format does Canvas use to import quizzes?

Canvas uses QTI, uploaded as a .zip package, as its native quiz import format. Classic Quizzes exports as QTI 1.2. Canvas does not natively accept a Word document, a PDF, or a plain CSV of questions, which is why instructors either paste questions into the quiz editor or run them through a converter that produces a QTI zip.

Can I import a Word document into Canvas quizzes?

Not directly. Canvas has no built-in Word to quiz import, so a .docx file cannot be uploaded as a quiz on its own. Instructors typically copy the questions from the Word file into the Canvas quiz editor, or use a third-party DOCX to QTI converter first. Several of these converters have been shared in the Canvas community.

Does Canvas have an AI quiz generator built in?

Canvas does not read your course documents and write questions for you as a standard feature. The quiz editor is a place to enter questions, not to generate them from a reading. That is the gap a quiz generator fills: it reads your own PDF, slides, or notes and drafts the questions, then you review them and put them into Canvas.

What is the difference between Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes for importing?

Both accept QTI packages, but they behave differently. Classic Quizzes exports and imports QTI 1.2 and is commonly used to move quizzes between Canvas courses. New Quizzes can import a QTI package to create a brand-new quiz or to fill an item bank, but it will not merge an import into an existing quiz, so plan to import first and edit after.

For instructors who teach with Canvas

Canvas Quiz Generator That Makes Canvas Quizzes and Tests from Any PDF or Course File

Canvas gives you a quiz editor, not a question writer. Upload the reading, slide deck, or chapter you already assigned and get a full set of questions with an answer key, ready to move into your Canvas course. No typing items one box at a time.

Your files are processed securely and visible only to you. We keep them with your quizzes for as long as your account exists.

Upload your course material and generate your questions

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PDF, DOCX, PPTX, TXT, JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, ODP, ODT, BMP, or TIFF

Up to 10 files at once, 50 MB each, merged into one quiz within the free page limit

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A Canvas quiz generator writes quiz questions from your own course material so you can put them into Canvas instead of composing every item by hand. Canvas has no built-in way to read a PDF and produce questions, and it does not import Word or PDF files as quizzes. Its native quiz import format is QTI, uploaded as a .zip package. So the practical workflow is: generate the questions from your document, review them, then either paste them into the Canvas quiz editor or bring them in through a QTI package. PDFQuiz handles the first part, turning a reading, chapter, or slide deck into multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blank, and short answer questions with a separate answer key.

How questions actually get into Canvas

This is the part that trips people up, so it is worth being precise. Instructure's own instructor guide puts it plainly: "You can easily import quizzes from programs that create QTI files. If a program does not create QTI files, it cannot be imported into Canvas." Canvas supports QTI 1.2 and 2.1, and Instructure's guide names Respondus 4.0 as a tool that exports QTI packages. Everything else is copy and paste or a conversion step. Here is what works.

Method	Supported by Canvas?	What it is good for
QTI package (.zip)	Yes, native	Bulk import into a new quiz or an item bank
Paste into quiz editor	Yes, manual	Small quizzes and quick edits as you go
Word .docx upload	No, not native	Needs a DOCX to QTI converter first
PDF upload as a quiz	No	PDFs are course files, never quiz questions
Course copy between Canvas courses	Yes	Reusing a quiz you already built in Canvas

PDFQuiz gives you the finished questions and a separate answer key as a Word document, a PDF, or a tab-separated text file you can open in Excel. From there the questions are yours to paste into the Canvas editor or run through the QTI converter your campus prefers. Generate questions from your own course file and see the output first.

Source files: PDF, Word, slides
Answer key: Included
Canvas import: QTI .zip
Build time: Seconds

From course file to Canvas quiz in four steps

The writing happens here. The posting happens in Canvas.

1 Upload the material: Add the PDF reading, lecture slides, textbook chapter, or notes you assigned this week. Whatever your students studied is what the questions come from.
2 Choose formats and count: Pick multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blank, short answer, or a mix, and set how many items you need for the quiz.
3 Review the questions: Read through the draft and cut or reword anything that misses the point of your lecture. This is faster than writing from scratch and keeps you in control of the assessment.
4 Move them into Canvas: Paste the items into a Canvas quiz, or convert them to a QTI package and import into a quiz or item bank. Keep the answer key for grading and review.

Who uses a Canvas quiz generator

Canvas is the LMS on most US college campuses and in a lot of K-12 districts. The people who get the most out of a question generator are the ones who teach from documents they wrote or selected themselves.

College faculty and adjuncts

Turn each week's assigned reading into a low-stakes Canvas quiz that checks whether students did it, without spending an evening writing items for every unit.

Instructional designers

Build item banks for a course shell from the source documents a subject-matter expert handed over, then hand back a draft the faculty member can edit rather than a blank page.

K-12 teachers on Canvas

Generate a quick check from the article or chapter your class just read, print a paper copy, and post the same set in Canvas for students who were absent.

Corporate and continuing-education trainers

Convert a policy document, manual, or certification study guide into knowledge-check questions for a Canvas Catalog course or a compliance module.

Teaching on a different platform? There is a matching workflow for the Moodle quiz generator and the Blackboard test generator, or build assignments with the Google Classroom quiz maker.

Canvas quiz generator questions, answered

How do I create a Canvas quiz from a PDF?: Upload the PDF to a quiz generator, let it write the questions from that document, then move the finished questions into Canvas. Canvas itself has no way to read a PDF and turn it into questions, so the writing step happens outside Canvas. Once you have the questions and answer key, you either paste them into the Canvas quiz editor or import them as a QTI package.
Can you import quiz questions into Canvas?: Yes. Canvas natively imports quizzes and questions from QTI packages uploaded as a .zip file. Classic Quizzes exports and imports QTI 1.2. In New Quizzes you can import a QTI package to create a new quiz or to load questions into an item bank, though a QTI import cannot modify a quiz that already exists.
What file format does Canvas use to import quizzes?: Canvas uses QTI, uploaded as a .zip package, as its native quiz import format. Classic Quizzes exports as QTI 1.2. Canvas does not natively accept a Word document, a PDF, or a plain CSV of questions, which is why instructors either paste questions into the quiz editor or run them through a converter that produces a QTI zip.
Can I import a Word document into Canvas quizzes?: Not directly. Canvas has no built-in Word to quiz import, so a .docx file cannot be uploaded as a quiz on its own. Instructors typically copy the questions from the Word file into the Canvas quiz editor, or use a third-party DOCX to QTI converter first. Several of these converters have been shared in the Canvas community.
Does Canvas have an AI quiz generator built in?: Canvas does not read your course documents and write questions for you as a standard feature. The quiz editor is a place to enter questions, not to generate them from a reading. That is the gap a quiz generator fills: it reads your own PDF, slides, or notes and drafts the questions, then you review them and put them into Canvas.
What is the difference between Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes for importing?: Both accept QTI packages, but they behave differently. Classic Quizzes exports and imports QTI 1.2 and is commonly used to move quizzes between Canvas courses. New Quizzes can import a QTI package to create a brand-new quiz or to fill an item bank, but it will not merge an import into an existing quiz, so plan to import first and edit after.

Related quiz tools

Build a reusable pool with the question bank generator, start from any file with the PDF to quiz converter, turn a deck into questions with the slides to quiz tool, or work from a recording with the lecture to quiz generator. Setting up assessments for a whole course? See the quiz maker for teachers. Teaching in a district on a different platform? The Schoology quiz generator covers the same workflow there.

Build your Canvas quiz questions

Upload the reading, chapter, or deck you already teach from and get a full question set with an answer key in under a minute.

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