How to Import QTI into Schoology: The Blackboard (ZIP) Path, Step by Step
You have a QTI package of questions and you want it inside Schoology. The first surprise: Schoology's import screen doesn't say "QTI" — it says Blackboard (ZIP). That label is Schoology's name for its QTI-based import path. Pick it, and your QTI package imports as a Collection you can reuse. This guide walks the exact steps and the failure modes that quietly drop questions.
What QTI is (in one paragraph)
QTI (Question and Test Interoperability) is the open XML standard for exchanging questions between systems. Schoology reads QTI wrapped as a Blackboard (ZIP) — a ZIP containing the QTI XML and any referenced media. Supported QTI versions on Schoology's path are 1.2, 2.1, and 2.2. As long as your package is a valid Blackboard-compatible ZIP, the importer recognizes it.
Step-by-step: QTI → Schoology
Open Resources
In Schoology, go to Resources — this is where Collections (question banks) live.
Start the import
Click Import. The dialog presents the supported import types.
Select Blackboard (ZIP)
Choose Select Blackboard (ZIP). This is Schoology's label for the QTI import path.
Upload your QTI/ZIP
Upload the .zip that contains the QTI package. Schoology parses it and previews the items it found.
Choose the Collection
Send the imported items into an existing Collection or create a new one. The QTI questions become a reusable bank.
Supported question types & what gets dropped
- Usually safe: multiple choice, true/false, multiple response, matching, fill-in-the-blank, short answer — the QTI staples.
- At risk: heavily formatted items, essay prompts with rubrics, or questions whose media isn't a single URL often import partially or get skipped.
- Media rule: each question may carry only one image, as a URL. Embedded or multiple images break the item's import.
Why QTI imports into Schoology fail
- Not a valid Blackboard (ZIP)/QTI — a renamed folder or a non-QTI ZIP is rejected outright.
- Wrong column shape at the source — if the questions originated in a spreadsheet, they must use fixed column fields (question, options, correct answer, optional image URL) so the converter maps every row.
- Image issues — more than one image per question, or an image embedded as base64 instead of a URL, causes the item to be skipped.
- Unsupported QTI variant — export as QTI 1.2/2.1/2.2 wrapped as a Blackboard-compatible ZIP to stay inside what Schoology accepts.
Meet the tool built for this
ExamParser converts questions from Excel, Word, and PDF into the Blackboard (ZIP) Schoology imports — no hand-editing QTI. Its .xlsx source uses fixed column fields, enforces one image URL per question, and emits a valid QTI 1.2/2.1/2.2 package so the import lands cleanly. The same source can also feed Canvas, Moodle, and other platforms.
Browse more import guides at examparser.com/blog/en.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Schoology import really QTI if it says Blackboard (ZIP)?
Yes. Schoology's import screen labels the format "Blackboard (ZIP)", but the package it reads is a QTI-based export (the same family Blackboard uses). Picking Select Blackboard (ZIP) is how you import QTI into Schoology.
Which QTI versions does Schoology accept?
Schoology's QTI path accepts QTI 1.2, 2.1, and 2.2. If your source tool exports a different or newer variant, wrap it as a Blackboard-compatible ZIP so the importer recognizes it.
Why did my Schoology QTI import fail or skip items?
Common causes: the package wasn't a valid Blackboard (ZIP)/QTI, a question had more than one image or an embedded (non-URL) image, or the source rows didn't use fixed column fields so the importer couldn't map them. Validating the package before import prevents most skips.
Can ExamParser produce the Blackboard (ZIP) Schoology wants?
Yes. ExamParser converts Excel, Word, and PDF questions into the Blackboard (ZIP) Schoology imports, applying fixed column fields and the one-image-URL rule, so the QTI package imports cleanly.
Ready to import your QTI?
Convert your questions into a Schoology-valid Blackboard (ZIP) — fixed columns, one image URL per question — and import it through Select Blackboard (ZIP).
Try ExamParser →