Exam Drop conversion service

Exam Drop is a staff-assisted conversion service. It accepts editable exam source, allows Gradebird staff to prepare a Gradebird-formatted exam, and gives the submitter printable packets plus an optional path to claim the prepared exam into an account. It is not the authenticated self-service exam importer.

Open Exam Drop

From the public Gradebird site, open App Tour and find Exam Drop. The former direct Exam Drop address redirects to this public flow. No Gradebird account is required to submit a request.

Submit source

In Drop your exam here:

1. Enter the instructor email address. In the required notes field, include the number of print packets needed and any timing, course-context, or formatting information staff should know.
2. Drag the exam into the upload area or click it to browse.
3. Upload .docx, a standalone .tex file, or a .zip LaTeX project.
4. Select Submit exam files.

PDF is not accepted because Exam Drop requires editable source.

Verify the request

Gradebird emails a verification link to the submitted address. Open that link within 24 hours. Before verification, the request remains pending and Gradebird staff do not begin conversion. An unverified request expires and its source is deleted after the verification window.

After verification, the request becomes Submitted and staff are notified. Gradebird's stated service target is to prepare the exam within 24 hours of verification; it is a service target, not an automatic processing guarantee.

Receive and use the prepared exam

When preparation is complete, Gradebird sends a ready email to the verified address. That email can expose:

• a prepared PDF for printing;
• a ZIP containing prepared packet PDFs, when a packet batch is available; and
• a claim link that transfers the prepared exam into the instructor's Gradebird account.

Claim the exam

Open the claim link from the ready email and sign in with the same email address that submitted and verified the request.

• If no matching account exists, create an account with that email and return to the claim link.
• If the account has no eligible destination course, create a course in the claim flow.
• Otherwise, select an existing course that you own. Instructor access to somebody else's course is not sufficient for this transfer.

Confirming the claim moves the prepared exam into the selected or newly created course. The Exam Drop then becomes Claimed.

Request states

State	Meaning
Pending verification	The form was submitted, but the email link has not been opened. Conversion has not started.
Submitted	Email ownership was verified and the request is ready for preparation.
In progress	The conversion is being prepared or reviewed.
Ready	Prepared exam and delivery artifacts are linked and the ready email can be sent.
Claimed	The submitter transferred the prepared exam into a Gradebird course. The handoff is complete.
Canceled	The request is unsupported or was removed from processing. It cannot be claimed.

Relationship to self-service import

Signed-in instructors can instead open a course, select Exams, choose New exam, and use Import from file. Self-service import creates a draft for the instructor to review. Use Exam Drop when you want staff to perform the preparation and return printable material; use self-service import when you want direct control of the draft and review process.