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Tutorial: Creating a Randomized Test in Canvas

Introduction

Creating a randomized quiz in Canvas allows you to pull unique question sets for each student, enhancing both test security and fairness. This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up a Question Bank and creating a Question Group to randomize questions for your quiz.

Part 1: Upload Questions

In this section, we will upload the questions to Canvas using QTI .zip files. This format allows you to easily transfer the questions into Canvas and get them ready for use in quizzes.

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Settings: On the bottom left-hand side of your course, click on Settings. Canvas course navigation menu with “Settings” highlighted in red at the bottom, indicated by a red arrow.

  2. Go to Import Course Content: On the right-hand side, in the middle of the page, click on Import Course Content. Canvas course settings menu with the “Import Course Content” option highlighted at the bottom by a red box and arrow.

  3. Select Content Type: Under "Select Content Type", open the drop-down menu and choose "QTI .zip file" at the bottom of the list.
    Dropdown menu in Canvas showing content type options, with “QTI .zip file” highlighted in blue and marked with a red box and arrow.

  4. Under Source, click Choose File to select the QTI .zip file, then upload the specific file containing the questions you want to add.
    Canvas import screen with “QTI .zip file” selected as content type and the “Choose File” button highlighted in the file upload section.

  5. After uploading the file, scroll down and click + Add to Import Queue.
    Canvas import screen showing “TestQuestions.zip” selected as the source file, with the “Add to Import Queue” button highlighted at the bottom.

  6. Wait a moment until the file upload shows "Completed" in green. Canvas content imports screen showing a QTI file named “TestQuestions.zip” with the import status marked as “Completed,” highlighted in green.

Part 2 (Optional): Rename your Question Bank

Now that we have uploaded the questions to Canvas, we can rename the file to make it easier to identify the question bank when setting up the randomization process.

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Quizzes: On the middle left-hand side of your course, click on Quizzes. Canvas course navigation menu with the “Quizzes” link highlighted by a red box and arrow.

  2. In the top-right corner, click the three dots next to the + Quiz button. A drop-down menu will appear. Then, click on Manage Question Banks.
    Canvas quiz page showing the blue “+ Quiz” button and the adjacent three-dot menu icon, which is highlighted with a red box and arrow. Dropdown menu under the three-dot icon on the Canvas quiz page, with “Manage Question Banks” highlighted in blue and outlined with a red box and arrow.

  3. You will see a list of the uploaded .zip files containing the questions for this course. To rename a questions bank, click the pencil icon to the right of the name, enter your desired name, and press Enter. Canvas Course Question Banks page showing a bank titled “Test Questions” with 99 questions, and the pencil icon for editing is highlighted with a red box and arrow. Canvas screen showing the editable field for renaming a question bank, with “Test Questions” highlighted in the input box next to “Bank Name.”

Part 3: Creating a Randomized Quiz Using Your Question Bank

In this section, we will create a quiz and set up a randomized question group that can be reused in the future.

  1. As before, on the middle left-hand side of your course, click on Quizzes.
    Canvas course navigation menu with the “Quizzes” link highlighted by a red box and arrow.

  2. In the top-right corner, click on + Quiz.
    Canvas quiz page showing the “+ Quiz” button highlighted in blue with a red box and arrow, located beneath the “View as Student” option.

  3. Provide a name, instructions, and set the quiz settings as you would for any other quiz.

  4. Now, click on Questions in the top-middle of the page.
    Canvas quiz editing screen showing the “Questions” tab highlighted with a red box and arrow above the quiz title “Test Quiz.”

  5. Then, click on Find Questions located on the right side of the three options.
    Canvas quiz question editor showing three buttons, with the “Find Questions” button on the right highlighted by a red box and arrow.

  6. There, you can select the question bank that we uploaded earlier.

  7. Scroll down to more questions and click it. Repeat this process until you have loaded all the questions from the question bank.
    Canvas “Find Quiz Question” window displaying a list of question banks and questions, with the “more questions” link highlighted in red.

  8. Scroll up and click Select All, or choose the specific questions you want to use.
    Canvas “Find Quiz Question” window with the “Test Questions” bank selected and multiple questions checked, while the “Select All” link is highlighted above the list.

  9. Scroll down to where it says "Add questions to the question group:". Below that, you'll see a dropdown menu labeled [ No Group ]. Click on it and select [ Create Group ].
    Canvas “Find Quiz Question” window showing selected questions and a dropdown menu with “[Create Group]” highlighted as the selected option for adding questions to a group.

  10. Name the question group, select the number of questions for the quiz, and specify the points per question. Then, click Create Group. Finish by clicking Add Questions.
    Canvas popup titled “Add a New Question Group” with fields filled for group name, number of questions, and points per question. The “Create Group” button is highlighted with a red box and arrow. Canvas “Find Quiz Question” window with several questions selected from the “Test Questions” bank and the “Add Questions” button highlighted, set to add them to the “Test Question Preset” group.

  11. Scroll to the bottom of the quiz and click Save & Publish, or click Save if you would like to publish it later.
    Canvas quiz editor footer with the “Save & Publish” button highlighted in the center between “Cancel” and “Save.”

Conclusion

Congratulations! Your test is now fully set up and available for students. You have successfully:

  • Uploaded the questions
  • Renamed your question bank
  • Created a specific randomized question preset
  • Configured a test using that randomized preset

Your students can now access and complete the test within Canvas. Great job!