You already have the material: a textbook chapter, a set of lecture slides, a worksheet, a training manual. Writing questions from it by hand can take an hour. Here is how to turn it into a ready-to-use quiz with an answer key in a few minutes with Quizbot.
Step 1: Pick the right material
The quality of the questions depends on what you give the generator. A few guidelines:
- One chapter or topic at a time gives sharper questions than a whole textbook.
- Digital text works best. A PDF exported from Word or a publisher's file gives cleaner results than a blurry scan. For a printed page, a clear photo also works.
- Leave out what you do not want tested. Front matter, references and appendices can pull questions away from the core content.
Quizbot accepts PDF, Word and PowerPoint files, up to four files of 20 MB each, as well as pasted text, a web page, a YouTube video or a photo of your notes.
Step 2: Upload and choose your questions
- Sign in (a free account works) and open the Question Generator.
- Upload your PDF, or add several files at once.
- Choose the question types. True/false and fill-in-the-blank questions are good for quick recall; multiple-choice and open-ended questions test understanding.
- Choose how many questions you want and the language.
- Generate.
Quizbot reads the whole document, not just the first pages, and writes the questions from your material only, so the quiz matches what you actually taught.
Which question types to choose
| Question type | Best for |
|---|---|
| True/false | A fast check of key facts at the start or end of a lesson |
| Fill in the blank | Vocabulary, formulas and definitions students must be able to produce |
| Multiple choice | Checking understanding across a whole chapter, and questions that are quick to mark |
| Open-ended | Explaining, comparing and applying ideas in the student's own words |
All four are included on the free plan. Paid plans add types such as matching, calculation questions and sets built around Bloom's Taxonomy.
Common problems and quick fixes
- The questions are too easy. Ask for multiple-choice or open-ended questions instead of true/false, or add a line to your material asking for questions that apply the idea to a new example.
- The questions focus on minor details. The material probably includes a lot of side content. Upload only the section you taught, or paste the key pages.
- The quiz is in the wrong language. Set the language before generating; Quizbot writes quizzes in many languages, whatever the language of the source.
- You need more questions than one file produces. Upload up to four related files together, or generate a second quiz and combine the best questions.
Step 3: Review and edit
Every quiz comes with an answer key. Before you use it, spend two minutes reading through:
- Delete any question about a detail you did not emphasize.
- Check that each question has one clearly correct answer.
- Adjust the wording to match the terms you use in class.
You can edit the questions directly on the page before you use them.
Step 4: Use it
- Print it, or download it as a Word document or PDF for a paper quiz.
- Send it to Google Classroom, where it becomes a self-grading Google Forms quiz.
- Export it to your LMS: Canvas, Blackboard, Schoology, Brightspace or Moodle.
- Export it to Kahoot for a live game in class.
- Practice with it yourself in Quiz Me.
Word and PDF downloads and the Google Classroom export work on every plan; exports to Kahoot and learning platforms are part of Quizbot's paid plans.
Tips for better questions
- Ask for a mix: a few recall questions to warm up, then questions that apply the idea.
- Generate a slightly larger set than you need and keep the best ones.
- For review, generate a new quiz from the same chapter a week later. The questions will usually differ, which gives you fresh practice.
- Using slides? The PowerPoint to quiz tool works the same way.
Students can do this too
If you are studying for an exam, turning your notes or the assigned reading into a quiz is one of the most effective ways to prepare, because it makes you recall instead of reread. Upload the chapter, take the quiz the next day, and focus your review on the questions you missed.
Ready to try it? Start with the PDF to quiz tool. It is free to start and needs no credit card.
