Supported PDF format
How to prepare a question-bank PDF so QuizMaster can turn it into a quiz. Everything on this page describes what the parser actually does today.
File types
PDF (selectable text), TXT, Markdown
Size limit
15 MB per file. Text-based question banks are usually far smaller.
Question type
Single-answer multiple choice, options A to D
Supported files
Accepted extensions: .pdf, .txt, .md.
| File | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF with selectable text | Yes | Text you can highlight and copy in a PDF viewer. |
| Plain text (.txt) | Yes | Read directly, with the same question layouts as PDF. |
| Markdown (.md) | Yes | Read as plain text. |
| Scanned or image-only PDF | No | No text can be extracted. OCR is not available in the browser version. |
| Password-protected PDF | No | Remove the password first, then upload again. |
| Word, PowerPoint, CSV, JSON, images | No | Not supported. Save or export the document as a PDF or text file. |
Supported question structure
Any one numbering style works. Keep each option on its own line.
Question numbering (any one style)
- Q1. Q1) Q 1: Q.1
- Question 1: Question 1.
- 1. 1) 1-
- An unnumbered line that ends with a question mark
Options
- Letters A, B, C and D only, upper or lower case
- Written as A. A) A - or A text
- At least two options per question; four is typical
- True / False works as options A and B
Layout
- One question block after another, top to bottom
- A question may wrap onto several lines
- Options each on their own line
- A blank line between questions helps but is not required
Supported answer formats
The answer line must come after the options of the same question.
| You write | What happens |
|---|---|
Answer: B | Read. The most common layout. |
Correct Answer: B | Read. |
Answer - B or Answer: b | Read. Letter case does not matter. |
Answer: B. Paris | Read. Only the letter is used. |
Explanation: / Note: / Hint: lines | Skipped. They are ignored, not shown in the quiz. |
Answer key listed at the end of the document | Not read. Every question is marked Needs review and the first option is assumed. |
Answer: A, C (several answers) | Only the first letter is used and the question is marked Needs review. |
Answer: E (beyond D) | Not read. The question is marked Needs review. |
Supported question types
| Type | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single-answer multiple choice (A-D) | Yes | The main supported type. |
| True / False as two options | Yes | Write them as A. True and B. False. |
| Plain Q&A pairs (Q: ... A: ...) | Yes | Turned into multiple choice by reusing other answers as wrong options. Every such question is marked Needs review. |
| Multiple-select (choose all that apply) | No | Only one answer per question is supported. |
| Fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer | No | Not detected. |
| Questions that rely on images, tables or formulas | No | Only text is read. Content inside images is not extracted. |
File size
The hard limit is 15 MB; larger files are rejected before reading. As a practical guide, keep files small: a question bank that is mostly text is normally well under 1 MB, and very large PDFs take longer to read because everything happens in your browser. This is a guideline, not a measured limit.
Unsupported PDF cases
These will fail, or give incomplete results.
Scanned or photographed pages
If you cannot select the text in a PDF viewer, the tool cannot read it either.
Multi-column layouts
Lines are read in position order, so two columns get interleaved. In our test, a two-column PDF with six questions produced only three, with no warning. Use a single column.
Answer keys at the end
Answers must sit under each question. A separate key page is not matched back to the questions.
More than four options
Options E and beyond are ignored and the question is marked Needs review.
Password-protected or corrupted files
They stop with an error message instead of a quiz.
Common parsing errors
The message you see, what it means and how to fix it.
| Message | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sorry, this file format isn't currently supported. | The extension is not .pdf, .txt or .md. | Export the document as a PDF or save it as a text file. |
| We couldn't find readable text in this document. | The file is empty or has almost no text. | Check the file opens and contains your questions. |
| This PDF appears to contain scanned images rather than selectable text. | The pages are pictures, so there is no text layer. | Run OCR in another tool to create a searchable PDF, then upload that. |
| This PDF is password-protected. | The PDF is encrypted. | Save an unprotected copy and upload it. |
| We couldn't read this document. Please try another file. | The PDF is damaged or uses an unusual structure. | Re-export it from the original source, or "Print to PDF". |
| File exceeds the supported size of 15 MB. | The file is larger than the limit. | Split it into smaller files. |
| We couldn't extract enough content to create reliable questions. | Text was found, but no question pattern matched. | Use one of the layouts above, with each option on its own line. |
| N need review | A question was found, but something was uncertain: no answer line, several answers, options beyond D, a duplicate, or generated options. | Open "See which questions and why", correct your document, or leave those questions out. |
Example
This is the text layout that parses cleanly. The downloadable PDF contains six questions in this format.
Q1. Which HTML element is best for the main navigation links of a site?
A. <div>
B. <nav>
C. <section>
D. <span>
Answer: B
Explanation: The nav element is a landmark that assistive technology can jump to.
Q2. What does CSS stand for?
A. Cascading Style Sheets
B. Computer Style Sheets
C. Creative Style System
D. Colorful Style Sheets
Answer: ADownload the example PDF
Six questions with options, answers and explanations. Upload it to see the quiz flow, or copy its layout for your own file.
Quick answers
What PDF format does the QuizMaster quiz maker support?
A PDF with selectable text where each question is numbered, has options A to D on separate lines and an "Answer:" line. Plain text and Markdown files with the same layout also work. The file limit is 15 MB.
Can I upload a scanned PDF?
No. Scanned or image-only PDFs need OCR, which is not available in the browser version. You will see a message explaining this.
Does QuizMaster write new questions from my notes?
No. It reads questions that already exist in your document. It does not generate new ones.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The file is read and parsed in your browser tab. The PDF reading library itself is loaded from a public CDN, but your document is not sent anywhere.
Ready to upload your question bank?
Your file is processed in your browser and results are saved only on your device.