How to Import Questions from a Text File

Summary

Video Tutorial



Step by Step Tutorial

Aiken Format Import  (Modified from http://eresource.npc.edu/forum/files/a9b090f441ab4d43bf184a983fcfec3b-6.html)

Step 1. Format your Multiple Choice questions to the Aiken format. Then save the file to text format (.txt):

The Aiken format is a simple way of importing multiple choice questions into Moodle. Here are two examples of the two different question formats allowed in Aiken format files:

What is the correct answer to this question?
A. Is it this one?
B. Maybe this answer?
C. Possibly this one?
D. Must be this one!
ANSWER: D

Which LMS has the most quiz import formats?
A) Moodle
B) ATutor
C) Claroline
D) Blackboard
E) WebCT
F) Ilias
ANSWER: A

Important:
The question must be all on one line (no paragraph returns except at the end of the question).
Each answer must start with a single-letter character, followed by a period '.' or a bracket ')', then a space.
The answer line must immediately follow, starting with "ANSWER:" and then giving the appropriate letter.  ANSWER must be in all CAPS
Smartquotes, apostrophe's, em-dashes, etc. may not convert correctly to text only when Save As Text file from Microsoft Word.  So you may need to clean up your file to get all questions to import. 

Step 2. Go to your Moodle course page. In the Settings block, click on Question bank to expand it, then click on the Import link.

Step 3. On the Import questions from file page, under File format choose Aiken format, under Import from file upload browse for the .txt file you have created in Step 1, Upload this file. Select the Import Category for the questions. [You might want to create categories for each group of questions you import or you can just import them into the Default for course if you wish them to be in one large pool of questions.]

Step 4. The next page says Parsing questions from import file and shows your question list. Click Continue at the bottom of the page

Step 5. All your questions should now be in the Question Bank for your use to add to a quiz/exam.