Import an exam

Availability and effect

Exam import is available to everyone who can edit an exam. The import dialog retains an Experimental label: review the imported draft carefully before publishing.

An organization administrator must first select an import AI model in organization settings.

Open the editable exam Draft, then expand Import exam. A successful import replaces the draft's setup, questions, workspaces, choices, and imported assets. It does not alter any published version. The form warns before overwriting a nonempty draft.

Supported source

Upload one of:

• .docx Word document;
• standalone .tex file; or
• .zip LaTeX project containing the source and referenced assets.

Use Special instructions (optional) for short layout or interpretation guidance.

Processing sequence

1. Drop or choose the source file and select Start import.
2. Gradebird reads the source and renders its original pages to help preserve layout and answer space, then builds a draft and checks that it can compile. If the original cannot render, import continues from text and figures with a warning to check the layout. The import runs unattended and may take several minutes. The dialog shows its current activity; activities may repeat as the draft is adjusted.
3. When it finishes, review the resulting draft and the warnings in the outcome notice. Missing material, inconsistent instructions, uncertain points, and unfinished layout adjustments are flagged for your attention.

If the automatic editing limit is reached, an available usable draft is imported with a warning. You do not need to answer questions or restart automatic checking. If no usable draft can be produced, the import fails and the existing draft remains unchanged.

Cancel and retry

The builder is read-only during an active import. Select Cancel to request cancellation. A running import can show Cancellation pending before it becomes Cancelled.

AI work shares a fair queue across users and courses. Waiting for an available worker is normal and does not by itself expire the import. If access is revoked or a stopped worker is reconciled, the import leaves its active state and records a cancellation or failure; it is not automatically replayed.

After failure or cancellation, correct the source or instructions and start a new import. The prior published versions remain unaffected.

Mandatory review

Import is conversion, not approval. Review the outcome notice and every generated field:

• printed title, instructions, front matter, and preamble;
• question boundaries, order, points, and multipart relationships;
• True/False or multiple-choice classification (including multi-select) and ordered choices, preserving selection directions;
• response-box type and height;
• equations, special characters, images, and image placement;
• omitted solutions or answer keys;
• every warning linked to a question, choice list, or workbox.

Compile and inspect every page. Set auto-graded answer keys only after publication in Grade → Auto-graded. Publish only after the generated draft matches the intended assessment.