Instructors often import test bank content from publishers into Moodle using the Question Bank import feature. This creates questions based on the format of a file provided to Moodle.

This article provides instructions for performing a question bank import. It also disambiguates the formats available for import.

Import Questions Settings

Importing questions creates questions in the question bank from a file. It may, in addition, create new question bank categories for those questions to be contained in. 

However, some test bank content may not provide a category or context for the imported questions. It's always advised to create a new category for the imported questions using the instructions in the "Creating Question Bank Categories in Moodle" article.

File Formats

There are six available Question Bank import formats:

• Aiken format
  
  • Aiken is a human-readable format for multiple-choice questions.
  • Expects a TXT file.
• Blackboard
  
  • Blackboard is a non-readable format for moving content from Blackboard to Moodle.
  • Expects a DAT or ZIP file.
• Embedded answers (Cloze)
  
  • Cloze is a specific question type that allows for embedded drop-down answers in a passage of text.
  • Expects a TXT file.
• GIFT format
  
  • GIFT is a human-readable format for different question types.
  • Expects a TXT file.
• Missing word format
  
  • Missing word format, which is based on GIFT format, is specifically for questions that require the placement of a word in the question text.
  • Expects a TXT file.
• Moodle XML format
  • Moodle XML is primarily used for importing any type of question in an HTML-like format. 
  • Expects an XML file.

Each may be used for a variety of reasons, and are documented further in Moodle's "Import questions" documentation. University-licensed AI tools such as Gemini can be used to convert a Word document, Google Doc, or PDF into one of the above formats. For guidance with this process, please reach out to the LearnTech Help Desk at learntech@ncsu.edu.  

Additional Options

The General section in this page has a few options available that will modify the output from the imported file. The options are:

• Import category
  • This is where the imported questions will house themselves after import.
• Get category/context from file
  • These options allow for the category of imported questions to be pulled from the file. 
  • The only formats that include the category in the import file are GIFT and XML files.
• Match grades
  • This option determines whether it will attempt to match the score for an answer to one of the closest acceptable values, or whether it will throw an error instead.
• Stop on error 
  • This option determines whether the entire import process will be cancelled if an error is thrown, or if it will continue to match any valid questions.

As a general recommendation, disabling Get category/context from file, setting Match grades to Error if grade not listed, and setting Stop on error to Yes will result in the import process only allowing valid inputs to be entered into the Question Bank, which will limit errors.

Importing Questions to Moodle

To import questions into the Question Bank:

1. In the course menu at the top of the main Moodle course page, select the More tab.
2. In the drop-down menu that appears, select Question bank.
3. In the drop-down menu at the top left corner of the Question bank page, select Import.
4. Choose the correct file format for the test bank file.
5. Configure any settings in the General section needed for import.
6. Upload the file to the Import file locker.
7. Click the Import button.
8. Review the titles of the questions imported to ensure that they are accurate.
9. Click the Continue button.

The questions have now been imported from the provided file and should be reviewed for accuracy. In particular, ensure:

• Correct answers should have full or partial marks depending on the design of the question
• Incorrect answers should not have any marks
• The question and answer text should be linked together correctly

If an imported file provided broken or badly formatted questions, it may be easier to delete them and ask the publisher for file modifications, rather than attempt to manually resolve the issue. 

Follow the instructions in the "Deleting All Questions in a Question Bank Category" article to delete all the questions.

Additional Resources

Question bank (MoodleDocs)

Import questions (MoodleDocs)

For additional assistance, please contact the LearnTech Help Desk at learntech@ncsu.edu or (919) 513-7094, or via the Get Help form on the DELTA Knowledge Base.