How to Import Questions into Canvas (QTI 1.2)
You have a set of exam questions sitting in a Word document or a PDF. You need them inside Canvas as a real quiz — stems, options, answer keys, and points all intact. Canvas cannot read .docx or .pdf directly; it imports quizzes from a QTI 1.2 package. The gap between "my questions file" and "a Canvas quiz" is exactly what this guide closes.
The fastest path is to let a parser read your document, structure the questions automatically, and hand you a Canvas-ready QTI file. This article walks through that pipeline and the one tool that does it end to end.
Why Canvas needs QTI 1.2
Canvas quizzes live in a structured bank: each item has a type, a stem, a list of options, one or more correct answers, and a point value. QTI 1.2 is the XML standard that encodes that structure in a package Canvas can ingest. When you import a QTI file, Canvas rebuilds each question into its quiz editor — no copy-paste, no re-typing options.
The one-step pipeline
Instead of juggling format conversions, upload your source document and let the structured output come to you:
Upload your question file
Drop in a .docx or .pdf — including scanned PDFs, which are recovered with OCR first. No pre-conversion needed.
Questions are structured automatically
The parser detects each question, its type, options, answer key, and points, turning the loose document into clean structured question data.
Export a QTI 1.2 package
The structured questions compile into a Canvas-importable .zip (QTI 1.2).
Import into Canvas
In Canvas, go to a course → Quizzes → More options (the three dots) → Import — and select the downloaded package.
How the structuring works
When your document is uploaded, the parser works through a few consistent rules so the output quiz matches your intent:
- Question boundaries. It finds where each question begins (numbered items, headings, or paragraph breaks) and groups the stem with its options.
- Question type. Single-choice and multiple-choice items are recognized from your answer markers and from the option layout.
- Answer key. The correct option(s) are mapped to a 1-based index that counts the option columns in order — the first option is 1, the second is 2, and so on. Multiple correct answers are grouped into one key.
- Points. A point value is captured per question so the Canvas quiz keeps your scoring.
That structured representation is what gets compiled into QTI. Because the questions are already clean and consistent, the export rarely needs fixes — unlike hand-built CSV where one miscounted answer key breaks a whole row.
Doing it with ExamParser
If you want a single upload to turn a document into a Canvas quiz, ExamParser is built for this. You upload your .docx or .pdf, the questions are structured automatically, and it returns a QTI 1.2 package ready for Canvas import. Scanned PDFs are handled through OCR, so the same workflow applies to image-only documents.
You can try the questions-to-Canvas flow directly at examparser.com/en/questions2canvas — document in, QTI package out.
Common pitfalls
- Miscounted answer keys. The key is 1-based and counts only the option columns. Re-check that "option c" really maps to 3 before exporting.
- Mixed formats in one file. Keep each question's layout consistent — if some rows use letters and others use numbers for options, normalize them first.
- Low-quality scans. A scanned PDF at under 200 DPI or a skewed photo can misread options. Scan at 300 DPI or higher on a flatbed for clean OCR.
- Forgetting the import menu. In Canvas the import lives under the three-dot "More options" menu on the Quizzes page, not inside the quiz editor.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload both Word and PDF files?
Yes. ExamParser accepts both .docx and .pdf question documents in one step. There is no need to convert Word into PDF or PDF into Word first; the parser reads each format directly and structures the questions from the source file.
What is QTI 1.2 and why does Canvas use it?
QTI (Question and Test Interoperability) 1.2 is the XML packaging standard Canvas accepts for quiz import. It wraps each question, its options, answer key, and points into a structured package Canvas can parse into the quiz bank. Canvas does not read raw .docx or .pdf, which is why a QTI export is required.
How are question types and answer keys represented?
The parser detects the question type (single choice versus multiple choice), maps your answer markers to a 1-based answer key that counts options in order, and records the points per question. Multiple correct answers are grouped in a single key. That structure is what gets compiled into the QTI package.
What if my PDF is a scanned (image-only) document?
A scanned PDF has no selectable text, so the parser runs OCR first to recover the question stems, options, and answer keys as text. Once the text is recovered, the same structuring and QTI export steps apply. For best results, scan at 300 DPI or higher on a flatbed scanner.
Does the exported QTI package work with New Quizzes?
The QTI 1.2 export targets Classic Quizzes. After importing, Canvas provides a built-in migration tool to convert Classic Quizzes into New Quizzes if your institution uses New Quizzes.
Start importing
Upload your question document, let the questions be structured automatically, and download a Canvas-ready QTI package.
Try ExamParser →