How to Turn Your PDF into a Schoology Quiz: PDF → QTI → Blackboard (ZIP)
You have a PDF of questions — a past paper, a scanned test, a publisher worksheet. You want it inside Schoology. First, the hard constraint: Schoology does not import PDFs. It only imports QTI packaged as a Blackboard (ZIP). So the path is a two-hop bridge: turn the PDF into a QTI package, then import that package through Select Blackboard (ZIP). ExamParser automates the first hop so only the ZIP reaches Schoology.
Two kinds of PDFs, two different problems
- Text PDFs — the questions are selectable text. Extraction can read them directly, though layout quirks (two-column prints, an answer key at the end) still need cleanup.
- Scanned PDFs — just page images. These need OCR before anything can be read. Without it, the converter sees a picture, not questions.
Step-by-step: PDF → Schoology quiz
Upload the PDF (text or scanned)
A converter with OCR recovers text from scans and parses native text from digital PDFs, including multi-page files.
Extract question, options, correct answer
The tool pulls each item into a structured row: stem, choices, and the key. Review anything the layout hid (split questions, answer keys separated from items).
Map to fixed column fields
Write the rows into the fixed template — question, option columns, correct-answer column, optional image URL — so the QTI export maps every row cleanly.
Resolve images to one URL each
Any diagram in the PDF is hosted and referenced by link. Embedded or extra images are dropped, so keep one visual per question.
Export the Blackboard (ZIP)
The converter emits the QTI package Schoology imports. (If you prefer a spreadsheet master, ExamParser also accepts an .xlsx source with fixed columns and produces the same ZIP.)
Import in Schoology
Go to Resources › Import › Select Blackboard (ZIP), upload the ZIP, and send it to a Collection or directly into a quiz.
The fixed-column and one-URL rules, applied to PDFs
Even though the final file is a ZIP, the underlying questions must respect two rules that break imports when ignored:
- Column fields must be fixed — question, each option, correct answer, and an optional single image URL, each in its own column.
- Image = one URL — a PDF page may show several diagrams, but Schoology takes one link per question. Choose the one that matters, or split the item.
Meet the tool built for this
ExamParser reads both text and scanned PDFs (OCR), extracts each question into the fixed column fields Schoology's QTI import expects, turns embedded diagrams into the one image URL per question the importer allows, and exports the Blackboard (ZIP) Schoology reads — no manual QTI editing. Its .xlsx source is equally supported, and the same PDF can also feed Canvas, Moodle, and others.
Browse more import guides at examparser.com/blog/en.
Frequently asked questions
Can Schoology import a PDF directly?
No. Schoology only imports QTI packaged as a Blackboard (ZIP). A PDF has to be converted into that QTI package first. ExamParser reads the PDF, structures the questions, and exports the Blackboard (ZIP) Schoology accepts.
What if my PDF is a scan with no selectable text?
Scanned PDFs need OCR before the questions can be read. A converter with OCR recovers the text and answer choices from the page image, then maps them into the fixed columns the QTI export expects.
How are images from a PDF handled for Schoology?
Schoology (via QTI) allows only one image per question, and it must be a URL. A PDF diagram is extracted, hosted, and written as a single link; embedded or multiple images per question are not accepted.
Can I also use an Excel file instead of a PDF?
Yes. ExamParser also accepts an .xlsx source with fixed column fields and converts it into the same Blackboard (ZIP). Many teachers keep the PDF as the master and an .xlsx working copy side by side.
Ready to convert your PDF?
Upload the PDF — text or scanned — and download a Schoology-ready Blackboard (ZIP) with fixed columns and one image URL per question.
Try ExamParser →