{"id":4199,"date":"2026-01-21T17:19:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T17:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/?p=4199"},"modified":"2026-03-02T16:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:23:11","slug":"setting-up-quizzes-in-canvas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/setting-up-quizzes-in-canvas\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting up Quizzes in Canvas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Canvas quizzes are a useful tool to engage students, assess their understanding and provide timely, formative feedback. This article will provide guidance on how to create quizzes, build questions and adjust settings to suit the course requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Build a quiz<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Quiz question types<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Add general student feedback<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Configure the quiz settings<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Edit, reorder, duplicate or delete questions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Use Item Banks<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Preview a quiz<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Adding quizzes to a Module<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Editing quizzes when submissions have been made<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Build your qui<\/strong>z<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Step 1<\/strong>: Navigate to the Quizzes<\/strong> area on the course navigation menu and select the + Quiz\/Survey<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Step 2: <\/strong>Enter the quiz name<\/strong> and the maximum number of points<\/strong> it is worth. You can also choose how grades are displayed and decide whether to exclude the quiz from the course\u2019s final grade calculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Step 3:<\/strong> Scroll to the Assign Access<\/strong> settings, where you can customise the quiz availability and set a due date. Use Assign to<\/strong> to release the quiz to specific students and apply custom deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Step 4: <\/strong>Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Build<\/strong> to start building your quiz.
    Step 4:<\/strong> Click the + button<\/strong> to add a question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Here you can choose from a range of question types<\/strong>. You\u2019re free to mix and match these throughout your quiz to better align each question with the learning outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    You can easily edit, reorder<\/strong>, duplicate<\/strong> or delete<\/strong> questions. For guidance, go to: Edit, Reorder, Duplicate, or Delete Quiz Questions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Quiz question types<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    You can choose from a range of question types, many of which can be automatically marked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Categorisation<\/summary>\n

    Students move answers into the correct categories while ignoring distractors.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Essay<\/summary>\n

    Students write a free-text response. Grading is manual.
    Although Canvas Quizzes can handle long written responses, it’s better to set essay tasks as a Canvas assignment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    File Upload <\/summary>\n

    Students submit a file. This can include Studio<\/strong> video submissions as well. Grading is manual. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Fill in the blank<\/summary>\n

    Students type a word or phrase to complete a sentence. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Formula <\/summary>\n

    Allows you to create maths questions with variables that are randomly generated for each student.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Hot Spot<\/summary>\n

    The student selects a specific area on an image. This can be used for labelling diagrams, identifying areas on a map etc. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Matching<\/summary>\n

    Students match prompts to the correct answer.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Multiple answer<\/summary>\n

    Students select all correct answers from a list.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Multiple choice<\/summary>\n

    Students select the correct answer from a list. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Numeric<\/summary>\n

    Students answer questions by entering a number.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Ordering<\/summary>\n

    Students order items in a list.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    True or False<\/summary>\n

    Students decide whether the answer is true or false. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Stimulus<\/summary>\n

    Allows you to give students a piece of content (e.g., an image or a text) with questions attached to it. For guidance see: Inserting stimulus content<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    Text block<\/summary>\n

    This is a non-question item used to provide instructions, add context, diagrams, or background information, separate sections in the quiz, add media etc. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

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    Add general student feedback<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    To add general student feedback to a question, edit the question, then select the feedback icon at the bottom of the settings. From there, you can add feedback for correct answers, incorrect answers, and a general comment that students will see no matter which option they chose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Canvas allows you also to add tailored feedback to each answer option in a Multiple\u2011Choice question, so students only see the comment linked to the choice they selected. In addition to per-question feedback, you can also include general feedback that appears for all students once they\u2019ve submitted the quiz. For more guidance on adding feedback to a quiz, see the article below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    How Do I Add Feedback to Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) in Canvas Quizzes?<\/a><\/blockquote>