--- title: "Excel Question Bank Template for Google Forms Import | Formswrite Blog" description: "A copyable Excel question bank layout for importing quiz questions into Google Forms, with column headers, answer key rules and the mistakes that break a row." canonical: https://formswrite.com/blog/excel-question-bank-template-google-forms last-updated: 2026-10-08 --- # Excel Question Bank Template for Google Forms Import In short Google Forms has no button for importing questions from Excel, so the spreadsheet has to be laid out in a way a converter can read. The layout that works is one question per row: a question column, one column per answer option, and an answer column holding the correct option. ## The template Put these headers in row 1 of the first sheet. Each following row is one question. | Question | A | B | C | D | Answer | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What is 7 x 8? | 54 | 56 | 64 | 48 | B | | Water boils at sea level at which temperature? | 90 C | 100 C | 110 C | 120 C | B | | The Earth orbits the Sun. | True | False | | | A | | Name three continents. | | | | | | A few things to notice. The true or false row uses only two option columns and leaves the rest empty. The last row has no options and no answer, so it becomes an open-ended question. The Answer column holds the letter of the correct option, which is the format the sample on the converter page uses. ## Why one row per question A spreadsheet stores data in rows and columns, while a form stores question blocks. The converter has to decide where one question ends and the next begins, and a row is the clearest boundary there is. When a question is spread over several rows, or two questions share a row, the reader has to guess, and guesses are where wrong forms come from. The same rule keeps the file easy for you to maintain. A question bank you can sort, filter and count is a question bank you can reuse next year. If you keep a Topic or Difficulty column to the right of Answer, it does no harm, and it lets you filter the bank before you convert. ## How to import the template into Google Forms 1. Fill in the template and save it as .xlsx. Keep the questions on the first sheet, because only the first sheet of a workbook is read. 2. Open the [Excel to Google Form converter](/convert/excel-to-google-form) and upload the file. You do not need to save it as CSV first. 3. Check the preview. Each row should appear as one question, with the right options and the correct answer marked. 4. Edit anything that looks off, such as a question type. 5. Export to Google Forms, and the form appears in your Drive as a normal, editable form. If you would rather stay in Google Sheets, export the sheet as .xlsx or .csv and use the [Google Sheets to Google Form converter](/convert/google-sheets-to-google-form), which reads the same layout. ## What the converter does with each part of the sheet | In your spreadsheet | In the Google Form | | --- | --- | | Header row | Read to find which column holds the question, the options and the answer | | Question column | The question text | | Option columns | Multiple choice options | | Answer column | The correct answer is pre-marked | | Data validation dropdown list | A dropdown question | | Formula cell | The calculated value is used, the formula is ignored | | Merged cells | A section title is extracted, the cells are unmerged | | Charts and pictures | Skipped, because only text cells are read | The last two rows matter if you build quizzes with images. A picture embedded in a cell does not travel into the form, so add the image to the question in Google Forms afterwards. ## Mistakes that break a row - **Two answers in one cell.** Write one correct option per row unless you are setting up a checkbox question and have checked how it appears in the preview. - **A letter that does not exist.** If the Answer says E and you only have options A to D, the row has no correct answer. - **Blank rows in the middle.** An empty row in the middle of the list can look like the end of the bank. Delete them. - **Question numbers typed into the cell.** "1. What is 7 x 8?" keeps the number in the form and then the numbering is wrong after you reorder. Leave numbers out. - **Hidden columns and filters.** Hidden columns are still in the file. Delete the ones you do not want, so nothing unexpected shows up. - **A second quiz on sheet two.** Only the first sheet is read, so move the quiz you want to the front. ## Free and paid Uploading the file and seeing the extracted questions is free, and the Formswrite form is the free output, with a limit of five Formswrite Forms per month on the free plan. Exporting the result to Google Forms is a paid feature, as is every other export. If you only want to type questions into a Google Form by hand, that is still free in Google Forms itself. For other ways to bring questions in, see our guide on [importing questions into Google Forms](/blog/how-do-i-import-questions-into-google-forms), which covers three methods, and the [question importer](/tools/import-questions-to-google-form) for CSV, Word and PDF files. If you are starting from an Excel file you already have, the post on [turning Excel into a Google Form](/blog/excel-google-form) walks through the same flow. [Convert your Excel question bank](/convert/excel-to-google-form) ## FAQ Can Google Forms import questions from Excel by itself? No. Google Forms only imports questions from another Google Form. To bring in questions from a spreadsheet you need a converter such as Formswrite, or an Apps Script you write yourself. How do I mark the correct answer in the Excel file? Add an Answer column and put the letter of the correct option in it, as in the template above. The converter pre-marks that option as the correct answer in the form. How many questions can one spreadsheet hold? The converter page does not state a row limit for the Excel converter. The separate question importer is described as handling 500 or more questions in one import, so a bank of a few hundred rows is a normal use. Start with a short test file if your bank is very large. Can I keep my formulas? Not inside the form. A formula cell is read as its current calculated value, and the formula itself is ignored, because Google Forms does not run spreadsheet logic. Does the template work for a survey as well as a quiz? Yes, leave the Answer column empty and the rows become questions without a correct answer. Check the question types in the preview, because a survey often needs scales or checkboxes rather than multiple choice.