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How to make a test from a PDF

Many exam question banks are shared as PDFs. If the file has a text layer (you can select the text with your mouse), the trainer extracts the questions, options and correct answers right in your browser.

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Step-by-step guide

  1. Check that the PDF contains text

    Open the file and try selecting some text. If only the whole image gets selected, it’s a scan: you’ll need to run text recognition (OCR) first or save the test in Word.

  2. Make sure the answers are marked

    Correct answers should be in bold or marked with an asterisk or plus next to the option, or the file should end with an answer key: “Answers: 1-B, 2-C”.

  3. Upload the PDF

    Drag the file into the upload area. The trainer assembles lines page by page, joins options that wrap onto the next line and detects bold text from the font name in the file.

  4. Check the result

    PDF layouts vary a lot, so look through the review screen carefully: fix answers, merge or delete extra questions and save the test.

What affects recognition quality

PDFs exported from Word or Google Docs are recognized best. Files with columns, tables, headers and footers are harder.

  • page numbers are removed automatically;
  • long options that wrap onto the next line are joined back together;
  • bold text is detected from the font name (for example, Arial-Bold);
  • color highlighting in PDFs isn’t recognized — use bold text or an answer key instead.

If the PDF isn’t recognized

Open the PDF in Word (it can convert PDF to DOCX), check how the answers are marked and upload the DOCX. Scanned PDFs without a text layer can’t be recognized.