Where to Find the Answer Key in Google Forms
FO
Formswrite Team
May 19, 2026
Where to Find the Answer Key in Google Forms
Short answer: the answer key is hidden until you turn the form into a quiz. Open the form, click Settings at the top, toggle Make this a quiz to ON, then click any question - the Answer key option appears at the bottom-left of the question card.
If it's still missing after that, jump to troubleshooting below.
Step by step (under 30 seconds)
- Open your Google Form.
- Click the Settings tab at the top of the page.
- Toggle Make this a quiz to ON. Close Settings.
- Click on any multiple choice, checkbox, or dropdown question.
- The Answer key button now appears at the bottom-left of the question card.
- Click Answer key. Select the correct answer(s) and set the point value (top-right).
- Click Done. Repeat for each question.
That's it - the answer key is now attached to the form. Submissions will be auto-graded against it.
Why the answer key is hidden by default
Google Forms is used for two completely different things: quizzes (graded, with correct answers) and regular forms (surveys, intake forms, sign-ups - no grading). Showing the Answer key option on every question would confuse people building a survey. So Google hides it until you explicitly opt in by toggling Make this a quiz.
The moment you toggle it on, every multiple choice, checkbox, and dropdown question gets the Answer key option.
If you can't see the answer key option
Five common reasons:
1. Quiz mode isn't on yet
The most common cause. Settings tab at the top of the form → Make this a quiz must be ON. Without that toggle, the Answer key option is hidden no matter what.
2. You're on a question type that doesn't support an answer key
Google Forms only offers answer keys for multiple choice, checkbox, dropdown, and short answer questions. File upload, signature, linear scale, multiple-choice grid, and a few others have no Answer key option - they're graded manually (if at all).
3. You're on the mobile Google Forms app
The mobile app has limited editing. Open the form on desktop to set the answer key - once set, it works fine across all devices for respondents.
4. You don't have edit permission on the form
If someone shared the form with you as a viewer or commenter, you can't change the answer key. Ask the owner to give you Editor access, or make your own copy (File → Make a copy).
5. The form is using a third-party builder
Some Google Forms add-ons (Form Publisher, Formfacade) embed forms with a different UI. If you're editing through one of those tools, look in their interface for the answer key - it may not match the standard Google Forms layout.
The shortcut: auto-set the answer key from a document
If you already have the quiz written in Word, PDF, Google Docs, or CSV, you don't have to click into every question manually. Formswrite reads the source document - including the markings you used for correct answers (asterisks, bold, highlighting, "(correct)" labels, or an answer list at the end) - and creates the Google Form with the answer key already set.
Workflow:
- Upload your Word doc / PDF / Google Doc to Formswrite.
- Review the parsed questions (correct answers are pre-marked).
- Click Export to Google Forms.
- The Google Form is created in your Drive with quiz mode on, answer key set, and point values applied.
For a 25-question quiz that would take 10-15 minutes of clicking in the native Google Forms UI, the Formswrite path is ~90 seconds.
FAQ
Where is the Answer key button in Google Forms?
After turning on Quiz mode (Settings → Make this a quiz → ON), the Answer key button appears at the bottom-left of every question card when you click into a question.
Why don't I see the Answer key option even after turning on Quiz mode?
The most likely cause is the question type - file upload, signature, linear scale, and multiple-choice grid questions don't support answer keys. Try clicking into a standard multiple choice or dropdown question.
Can I edit the answer key after sharing the form?
Yes - you can return to any question, click Answer key, and update correct answers or point values even while the form is collecting responses. Existing submissions are not retroactively re-graded; only new ones use the updated key.
Where do I see the answer key from a respondent's perspective?
Respondents don't see the answer key while taking the form. After submission, if you've enabled Respondent can see → Correct answers in Quiz settings, they see which questions they got right and the correct answer on each. Otherwise they only see their total score.
Where are the quiz results stored?
In the Responses tab of your Google Form. You can also link the form to a Google Sheet (Responses tab → Link to Sheets) to get a row per submission with auto-graded scores.
Can Formswrite auto-create the answer key from my document?
Yes - when converting Word, PDF, Google Docs, or CSV to a Google Form, Formswrite detects how correct answers are marked in the source (asterisks, bold, highlighting, "(correct)" labels, or answer lists at the end) and sets them as the Google Forms answer key on export.
Related guides
- How to Make an Answer Key in Google Forms - full walkthrough of the manual Quiz Mode setup plus per-choice feedback and point values.
- PDF to Google Forms Converter - turn an existing PDF quiz directly into a Google Form with the answer key auto-detected.
- AI Quiz Generator: From Any Document - generate questions AND answer keys from raw source material.
- PDF to Quiz Generator - PDF-focused with auto-detected answer keys.
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