Free Excel to Quiz Generator — Multiple Choice, Timer & Kahoot Export
Turn Your Excel or CSV Into
a Live Scored Quiz — Instantly
Upload a spreadsheet with questions and answers. Get multiple choice, true/false, and short answer quizzes with a live play mode, timer, instant scoring, and PDF export. No sign-up. Your file never leaves your browser.
Col D–H: Options A–E (for multiple choice) · Col I: Category (optional)
Format: Question [Tab] Type (MC/TF/SA) [Tab] Correct Answer [Tab] Option A [Tab] Option B [Tab] Option C [Tab] Option D [Tab] Category
You have a spreadsheet packed with quiz questions. Maybe it is a question bank built over years of teaching. Maybe it is a compliance assessment your HR team compiled. Maybe it is a practice set your student group created for exam prep. It sits in Excel, perfectly structured, and yet turning it into an actual quiz means re-entering every single question into Kahoot, Google Forms, or ProProfs — one by one, by hand.
The ExcelGuru Excel to Quiz Generator eliminates that entirely. Upload your .xlsx or .csv file, and you have a fully interactive, live-scored quiz running in your browser within seconds. Multiple choice with A/B/C/D options. True/False. Short answer. A per-question countdown timer. Instant correct/wrong feedback. A pass/fail threshold. An answer review screen. Export to Kahoot, PDF, or Excel. All free. No account. No file upload to any server.
🔑 The core problem this tool solves Every existing tool that accepts Excel quiz questions either requires an account, caps the free tier at 8 questions (ProProfs), requires a multi-step CSV conversion (Kahoot), or uploads your file to a server (Smallpdf AI). ExcelGuru is the only free, browser-based, no-signup tool that reads a real .xlsx file, plays a live scored quiz with a timer, and exports Kahoot-compatible CSV — all in one step. |
How to Use the Tool — Step by Step
- Open the tool in your browser. No download, no account, no loading time.
- Choose your input method: Upload File, Paste Data, or Type Manually.
- For uploads: drag your .xlsx, .csv, or .tsv onto the drop zone, or click to browse. Download the Excel or CSV template first if you are unsure of the column format.
- For paste: copy your question rows from Excel or Google Sheets and paste into the Paste Data tab. The tool detects the separator automatically.
- For manual entry: fill in the question form. Change the Type dropdown to MC, T/F, or SA — the form adapts. For MC, type your options and the Correct Answer dropdown updates automatically.
- Fill in Quiz Settings: quiz name, pass mark percentage, timer duration, and question order.
- Click Generate Quiz. Your question bank appears with colour-coded question type badges and the correct answer highlighted in each card.
- Click Play Quiz to start the live scored session. Use keyboard shortcuts or mouse to answer each question.
- Review your results on the results screen. Click Review Answers to see every question with correct/wrong breakdown.
- Export: click Kahoot CSV to copy the CSV for Kahoot import, Print PDF for a printable version, or Excel for a results file.
- Click New Quiz to reset and start over with a different file.
🎯 Best workflow for teachers 1. Build your question bank in Excel using the downloaded template. 2. Upload it and click Generate Quiz. 3. Run it as a live quiz for your class (Project your screen — students answer on their own devices). 4. Export as Kahoot CSV and import into Kahoot for a gamified version. 5. Export the PDF for students who need a physical copy. All from one file, all free. |
Who Is This Tool For?
Who Uses It | Their Problem | How ExcelGuru Solves It |
Teachers / tutors | Question bank is already in Excel — re-entering it into Kahoot or Google Forms takes hours | Upload the spreadsheet, get a live quiz in 30 seconds |
Corporate trainers / HR | Compliance Q&A, onboarding assessments, product knowledge tests are in Excel — LMS costs $300/month | Free scored quiz from existing data, Excel results export for reporting |
Students (self-testing) | They have vocabulary lists, formula sheets, definition tables — want to test themselves | Paste or upload, get timed quiz, see what they got wrong instantly |
Exam prep candidates | MCAT, CPA, CFA, CompTIA practice questions are in structured spreadsheet format | Shuffle mode + answer review + multiple attempts |
Content marketers | Want an engaging lead-gen quiz — have the questions in a spreadsheet | Build quiz, export Kahoot CSV for live events or embed the HTML |
School department heads | Need to distribute the same quiz to multiple teachers without accounts | Share the template file — anyone can upload and run it |
Three Ways to Add Your Questions
Unlike every other quiz tool that forces one specific input format, the ExcelGuru generator gives you three entry paths — covering every possible workflow.
1. Upload Excel, CSV, or TSV
Drag and drop or browse for any .xlsx, .xls, .csv, or .tsv file. SheetJS reads the entire file client-side — nothing is transmitted to any server. Files with hundreds of rows parse in under a second. The tool auto-detects the separator for CSV files (tab, comma, or semicolon) so you do not need to pre-convert.
The expected column format is: Column A = Question text, Column B = Type (MC/TF/SA), Column C = Correct answer, Columns D–H = Options A through E (for multiple choice), Column I = Category (optional).
Not sure of the format? Click “Download Template” below the upload zone to get a pre-filled Excel or CSV template with 11 example questions spanning multiple choice, true/false, and short answer types — across Geography, Biology, Science, Math, History, and Technology.
2. Paste from Excel or Google Sheets
Select your columns in Excel or Google Sheets, press Ctrl+C, click the Paste tab, and press Ctrl+V. The tool detects your separator automatically and parses the data without any intermediate export step. This is the fastest path for anyone working in Google Sheets who wants to skip the download entirely.
3. Type Manually
Add questions one row at a time using the structured manual entry form. Each row has a question field, a type selector (MC / T/F / SA), a correct answer field that adapts to the type, and option fields A–D. When you select True/False, the option fields disappear and the correct answer dropdown automatically shows True or False. When you type options for a multiple choice question, the correct answer dropdown refreshes instantly with the options you entered so you can click to select rather than retype.
💡 Smart correct answer dropdown Every other manual quiz builder makes you type the correct answer in a separate field and hope it matches your option text exactly. ExcelGuru’s manual entry form links the two — as you type Option A, B, C, and D, the Correct Answer dropdown updates in real time so you just click the right one. Zero typo risk. |
Question Types — Multiple Choice, True/False, and Short Answer
The Type column in your spreadsheet controls what kind of question is generated. The tool accepts several natural variations so you do not need to memorise exact syntax:
- Multiple Choice (MC, MULTIPLE, M) — Question + up to 5 answer options from columns D–H + one correct answer
- True / False (TF, TRUE/FALSE, T/F, TRUEFALSE) — Question + correct answer of True or False (also accepts Yes/No, 1/0, T/F)
- Short Answer (SA, SHORT, S, OPEN) — Question + exact correct answer — checked case-insensitively during the quiz
Each question type renders differently in both the question bank preview and the live quiz mode, with clear visual badges and distinct interaction patterns.
Live Quiz Mode — Every Feature Explained
Click “Play Quiz” and the tool switches to a full-screen immersive quiz experience. The page header, navigation, and question bank are hidden — the entire screen becomes the quiz. Here is every feature inside the live mode:
Progress bar and score tracker
A green progress bar at the top fills as you advance through questions. Your running score (correct answers / questions answered so far) displays in the top bar so you can see your performance in real time, not just at the end.
Per-question countdown timer
Set the timer from 15 seconds to 2 minutes in the Quiz Settings before generating. The timer displays in the top-right of the quiz screen, turns amber when 10 seconds remain, and turns red when 5 seconds remain. If it hits zero, the question is automatically marked as “timed out”, the correct answer is revealed, and the quiz advances. The timer can also be turned off entirely for self-paced use.
Answer options rendering
Multiple choice questions display A/B/C/D buttons. Click any option to highlight it as your selection. True/False questions show two large buttons side by side. Short answer questions show a text input field — press Enter to submit. At no point does any question show a blank text input when options are available.
Submit, Skip, and Next
Three navigation buttons manage question flow: Submit Answer checks your response and shows feedback; Skip records the question as skipped without penalty and advances; Next Question appears after submitting or after a timeout, to advance to the next question. The Skip button disappears after you submit an answer so it cannot be used to retroactively avoid a wrong answer.
Instant feedback
When “Show feedback immediately” is toggled on (the default), submitting an answer immediately reveals whether you were correct. For multiple choice, the correct option turns green and your wrong selection (if any) turns red. A feedback bar below the options shows the verdict and the correct answer text. This toggle can be turned off for exam simulation where no feedback is given during the quiz.
Keyboard shortcuts
Press 1, 2, 3, 4 to select multiple choice options A, B, C, D without touching the mouse. Press T or F to select True or False. Press Enter to submit the current answer. Press → to skip. Press Esc to exit at any point. For short answer questions, press Enter in the text field to submit.
Results screen
After the last question, a results screen shows a score ring with your percentage, a pass/fail verdict based on your configured pass mark threshold, and a four-column breakdown of correct, wrong, skipped, and percentage. You can then:
- Try Again — reshuffles the same question set and restarts from question 1
- Review Answers — shows every question with your answer, the correct answer, and a colour-coded correct/wrong/skipped badge
- Back to Quiz — returns to the question bank without losing your last results
Quiz Settings — Customize Before You Start
The settings panel between Step 1 and Generate Quiz gives you six controls:
- Quiz Name — appears in the question bank header, PDF export, and Excel filename
- Pass Mark % — sets the threshold for the pass/fail verdict on the results screen (default 70%)
- Timer per Question — off, or 15s / 20s / 30s / 45s / 60s / 90s / 120s — applies to every question
- Question Order — Original (as uploaded) or Shuffle (random) — shuffle applies to both the question bank preview and the live quiz
- Skip header row — toggle on if your first spreadsheet row contains column names rather than a question
- Show feedback immediately — toggle off to hide correct/wrong feedback until the end — useful for formal assessments
Export Options — Kahoot CSV, PDF, and Excel
Kahoot CSV Export
Clicking Kahoot CSV opens a modal with the complete CSV text ready to copy. Paste it directly into Kahoot Creator → Import to load your questions into a Kahoot game. The format includes the question text, four answer options, time limit per question (pulled from your timer setting, defaulting to 20 seconds), and the correct answer number — exactly what Kahoot expects. Multiple choice and true/false questions are both supported in the Kahoot export. Short answer questions are excluded since Kahoot does not support that type.
Print PDF
The PDF export opens a modal with complete HTML of your quiz — ready to copy into a text editor, save as .html, open in a browser, and print with Ctrl+P. The printable format includes every question with options, an answer key section at the bottom, question type labels, category tags, and the quiz name and date. Ideal for teachers who need physical quiz papers for a classroom setting.
Excel Export
The Excel export produces a .xlsx file via SheetJS with two sheets:
- Questions sheet — all questions with columns for question text, type, correct answer, options A–D, and category
- Results sheet — only present if you played the quiz — shows every question, your answer, the correct answer, and Correct/Wrong/Skipped status, plus a score summary row at the bottom
This makes the tool genuinely useful for trainers and HR teams: distribute the quiz file, collect completed results exports, and consolidate them without needing any platform subscription.
How ExcelGuru Compares to Every Alternative
| Feature | ExcelGuru | ProProfs | Faabul | Kahoot | Quizizz | Google Forms |
| Upload real .xlsx directly | Yes — free, unlimited | Yes (8 Q free) | Yes (account req) | CSV only | No | No |
| Paste from clipboard/Sheets | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Manual entry with smart form | Yes | Yes | Yes | Manual only | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple choice questions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| True / False questions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Short answer questions | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Question timer | Yes — per-question | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Scored live quiz mode | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (group) | Yes | Yes |
| Instant feedback per Q | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Pass mark threshold | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Skip question option | Yes | No | No | No | No | N/A |
| Full answer review | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Kahoot CSV export | Yes | No | No | N/A | No | No |
| PDF / print export | Yes | Paid | No | No | No | Yes |
| Excel results export | Yes | Paid | No | No | No | CSV only |
| No account required | Yes | No | No | No | No | Google acct |
| Data stays in browser | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Free tier limit | Unlimited | 8 Q | Account | 10 players | Limited | Unlimited |
📊 Market context
The AI Quiz Generator market was valued at $375 million in 2025 and is growing at 26.7% annually, projected to reach $4 billion by 2035. Despite this growth, there is still no free, browser-based, no-signup tool that takes a real Excel file and produces a live scored quiz with a timer. ExcelGuru fills that gap completely.
Privacy and Performance
The tool is a single HTML file — approximately 80 KB. Every calculation, file parse, and quiz session runs entirely in the browser. No data is transmitted to any server at any point. This makes it suitable for:
- Confidential HR and compliance training materials — sensitive Q&A stays on the user’s device
- School assessments with student data — no GDPR/FERPA concerns since nothing is collected
- Proprietary corporate knowledge bases — question banks do not leave the organisation
Because the tool has no server component, there are no rate limits, no maintenance windows, and no scalability concerns. One teacher using it and ten thousand students using it simultaneously produce identical performance — each session is isolated in its own browser tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the ExcelGuru Quiz Generator completely free?
Yes, entirely free — no account, no subscription, no question limit, no premium tier. Every feature including all export options is available to everyone.
What Excel column format does the tool expect?
Column A = Question, Column B = Type (MC/TF/SA), Column C = Correct Answer, Columns D-H = Options A-E (for multiple choice), Column I = Category. Download the template from the upload zone for a pre-filled example. The first row can be a header row — toggle “Skip header row” on in Settings.
How does the tool handle True/False questions?
Set the Type column to TF (or True/False, T/F, TRUE/FALSE). The Correct Answer column should contain True or False (also accepts Yes/No, 1/0, T, F). During the quiz, two large True and False buttons are displayed — no text input field.
What does “Short Answer” mean — is it case-sensitive?
Short answer questions show a text input during the quiz. The answer is checked case-insensitively, so “Paris”, “paris”, and “PARIS” are all accepted as correct if the correct answer is “Paris”. Leading and trailing spaces are trimmed automatically.
How do I import the Kahoot CSV into Kahoot?
Click Kahoot CSV in the quiz header. A modal opens with the CSV text. Copy it all, paste it into a text editor (Notepad/TextEdit), save as a .csv file, then in Kahoot Creator click “Import” and upload that file. Alternatively, paste the content directly if Kahoot Creator supports paste-import in your region.
Can I use this for a live classroom quiz projected on a screen?
Yes. One person (the teacher) runs the quiz on their device, projected on screen. Students do not need any accounts or devices — they just watch and write down their answers, or call them out, while the teacher controls the pace using Skip and Next. For a student-device format, use the Kahoot CSV export and run it as a Kahoot game instead.
Does the timer apply to every question?
Yes, the timer setting applies uniformly to all questions in the quiz. If you want no timer, select “No timer” from the Timer dropdown in Settings before generating. If the timer runs out on a question, it is automatically recorded as timed out, the correct answer is revealed, and the quiz advances.
Can I shuffle the question order?
Yes. Select “Shuffle randomly” from the Question Order dropdown in Settings before clicking Generate Quiz. The question bank preview and the live quiz will both use the shuffled order. Click “Try Again” on the results screen and the questions are reshuffled again.
How many questions can the tool handle?
The question bank preview comfortably handles up to 500 questions. The live quiz mode has no limit — it shows one question at a time, so 1,000 questions work identically to 10. SheetJS can parse files with over 100,000 rows without issue. For very large banks, use the Shuffle and filter options to create focused quiz sessions.
Is the tool mobile friendly?
Yes. The layout is fully responsive. On phones, the quiz card and buttons resize to fit the screen. Keyboard shortcuts do not apply on touchscreens, but all buttons are touch-friendly. File upload on iOS and Android works via the browser file picker.