QTI Converter: Turn Documents Into a QTI 2.1 Package

Updated October 23, 2026 · 8 min read

Search for a QTI converter and you meet two kinds of tool. One reads your document and reshapes it into an IMS QTI 2.1 package. The other "helpfully" rewrites your questions with AI and calls the result QTI. The second sounds faster until the AI changes a number on a chemistry formula or flattens a carefully worded distracter. ExamParser is the first kind: a deterministic QTI converter that packages the questions you already wrote, exactly as written.

The one-line difference: an AI converter rewrites your content and sometimes gets it wrong. ExamParser converts the format and never touches the content. For quizzes that count toward a grade, that distinction is the whole point.

What QTI actually is

QTI stands for Question and Test Interoperability, an open IMS standard that describes questions, answers, and feedback as XML. A QTI 2.1 package is a ZIP file that bundles that XML with a manifest. The reason people convert to QTI instead of pasting questions by hand is portability: the same package imports into most major learning systems, so you author once and deploy across platforms.

Why convert a document to QTI instead of re-typing

No manual re-entry. A 50-question exam retyped into a web form is an afternoon of error-prone clicking. Conversion does it in minutes.
One source, many destinations. The same Word, Excel, PDF, or CSV becomes a single QTI package that several LMS platforms accept.
Auditable output. Because nothing is rewritten, what you wrote is what lands in the gradebook.

The workflow: document → QTI 2.1 → import

Upload your source

Drop in the Excel/CSV, Word/DOCX, or PDF that holds your questions. ExamParser reads them exactly as written — text-based or scanned via OCR.

Map to fixed columns

For spreadsheets, ExamParser lines up your data with the required columns (question, options, correct answer, optional image URL). No content is added or changed.

Generate the QTI 2.1 ZIP

ExamParser emits a standards-based IMS QTI 2.1 package — the format your LMS imports natively.

Import into your LMS

Upload the package in your platform's QTI import screen. The items land as a reusable question bank.

Which platforms import a QTI 2.1 package

A single QTI converter output can feed most of your systems. Rough coverage:

Platform	Import path	Lands as
Canvas	Settings › Import Course Content › QTI 2.1 .zip	Question bank
Blackboard (Ultra)	Question Banks › Import	Question bank
Blackboard (Original)	Course Tools › Tests, Surveys, and Pools › Question Pools › Import Pool	Question pool
Brightspace	Question Library › Import › IMS QTI ZIP	Question Library
Moodle	Question bank › import (Moodle XML) or GIFT/Aiken	Question bank
Schoology / Neo (CYPHER)	QTI import screen	Question bank

What a QTI package looks like

Open the ZIP and you find a manifest plus one XML file per question. A minimal item, simplified, reads like this:

<assessmentItem identifier="q1" title="Photosynthesis">
  <itemBody>
    <p>Which molecule stores chemical energy in plants?</p>
    <choiceInteraction maxChoices="1">
      <simpleChoice identifier="A">Glucose</simpleChoice>
      <simpleChoice identifier="B">Oxygen</simpleChoice>
      <simpleChoice identifier="C">Nitrogen</simpleChoice>
    </choiceInteraction>
  </itemBody>
  <responseDeclaration>
    <correctResponse><value>A</value></correctResponse>
  </responseDeclaration>
</assessmentItem>

That structure is why a converter is reliable: it maps your spreadsheet rows or document questions onto the same assessmentItem shape, with the correct answer carried as a value rather than re-interpreted. ExamParser builds exactly this — no creative liberties.

Deterministic converter vs AI converter

When a quiz is for practice, an AI guess is tolerable. When it is for a midterm or certification, a fabricated answer is a problem — for the student who gets it wrong and the instructor who has to defend it. Because ExamParser only reorganizes questions you authored, the output is auditable: what you wrote is what lands in the system. The same source can also feed Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle, so you convert once and deploy everywhere.

Browse more import guides at examparser.com/blog/en.

Frequently asked questions

What is a QTI converter?

A QTI converter turns your question documents (Word, Excel, PDF, or CSV) into an IMS QTI 2.1 package — a ZIP of standardized XML that learning systems can import natively. The "conversion" is reshaping your content into the format; it does not have to invent new questions.

Does ExamParser's QTI converter use AI to write questions?

No. ExamParser is deterministic. It reads the questions you already authored and packages them as QTI 2.1. It never rewrites, translates, or invents question text. For graded work, that means the content that lands in your LMS is exactly what you wrote.

Which platforms import a QTI 2.1 package?

Canvas (Settings > Import Course Content, as a question bank), Blackboard (Ultra Question Banks > Import, or Original Question Pools > Import Pool), Brightspace (Question Library > Import), Moodle (via the Moodle XML or GIFT/Aiken import), Schoology, and Neo/CYPHER LMS all accept QTI. A single QTI 2.1 package from your source file can therefore feed most of your systems.

What source files can I convert to QTI?

Excel/CSV with a fixed column layout (question, options, correct answer, optional image URL), Word/DOCX (table or heading-and-list structure), or PDF (text-based or scanned via OCR). Each question may carry at most one image, supplied as a URL.

Ready to convert your documents into QTI?

Skip the AI rewrite. Upload the questions you already trust and generate a standards-based QTI 2.1 package that imports into Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, Moodle, and more.

Try ExamParser →