Google Forms Quiz Settings Explained: Answer Key, Points, Feedback, and Grading
FO
Formswrite Team
May 19, 2026
Google Forms Quiz Settings: A Complete Reference
Google Forms has more quiz settings than the UI makes obvious - answer key, point values, per-choice feedback, score release timing, the difference between "Quiz mode" and regular form mode, and a handful of nested options that decide what students actually see after they submit. This page is the complete reference for every setting that affects how your quiz behaves.
If you're just looking for one specific thing:
- Where is the answer key? → the dedicated quick answer.
- How do I make an answer key step by step? → the tutorial guide.
- All quiz settings explained? Read on.
The two-level setting model
Google Forms has settings in two places, and confusing them is the source of most "why doesn't this work?" questions:
- Form-level settings - apply to the whole form. Found in the Settings tab at the top of the form. Includes: Quiz Mode toggle, default point values, score release timing, what respondents can see.
- Question-level settings - apply to a single question. Click into the question, then look at the Answer key button (bottom-left of the card). Includes: correct answer(s), point value override, per-choice feedback.
You set the form-level defaults first, then tweak per-question if needed.
Form-level settings (the Settings tab)
Make this a quiz (the master toggle)
This is the toggle that unlocks all the other quiz features. Off by default - a brand-new Google Form is a survey, not a quiz.
Where: Settings tab → top of the Quizzes section.
Effect when ON:
- Every multiple choice / checkbox / dropdown / short answer question gets an Answer key option
- Auto-grading runs on submit
- Score data appears in the Responses tab
- Respondents see their score (unless you delay release - see below)
If this toggle is OFF, none of the other quiz settings have any effect - they're hidden.
Release grade (timing)
Controls when students see their score.
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| Immediately after each submission | Score, missed questions, and (if enabled) correct answers shown the instant they hit submit. Good for practice quizzes. |
| Later, after manual review | Students see "Your responses have been recorded" - no score. You review submissions, then release manually via the Responses tab. Good for high-stakes graded assessments. |
Respondent can see
Three sub-options that decide what students see when scores release:
- Missed questions - shows which questions were wrong but not which option was correct.
- Correct answers - shows the right answer for each question. Combine with feedback for the full picture.
- Point values - shows the points earned per question and total.
Mix and match. Common combinations:
- Practice quiz: all three ON.
- Graded test (no reuse): all three ON.
- Graded test you reuse next semester: only "Point values" ON - otherwise the test is on Reddit by Monday.
Default question point value
A new field added in 2024. Set a default point value (e.g., 1) so every new question you add uses that - instead of the old behavior where every question was 0 points until you set it manually.
Question-level settings (per-question)
Answer key
The per-question correct answer + point override. Click a question → Answer key button at the bottom-left.
Inside the Answer key view:
- Mark the correct option(s). Click each correct choice - it turns green.
- Set the point value. Top-right of the card. Overrides the form-level default for this one question.
- Add answer feedback (the link at the bottom - see next section).
Per-choice answer feedback
The single most underused Google Forms quiz feature. After marking the correct answer, click Add answer feedback. You get to write three things:
- Feedback for incorrect responses - shown when a student gets the question wrong. Use it to direct them to the right section ("Review chapter 3, page 47").
- Feedback for correct responses - shown when they get it right. Use it for reinforcement ("Right - and this connects to next week's lab").
- A link - to a textbook page, a YouTube video, a slide deck. Shown alongside the feedback message.
Feedback only shows up if Respondent can see → Missed questions (or Correct answers) is ON in form-level settings.
Question type and answer-key eligibility
Not every question type supports auto-graded answer keys. The matrix:
| Question type | Answer key support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Short answer | Yes | Exact text match (case-insensitive). Add all reasonable variants as separate accepted answers. |
| Paragraph (long answer) | Manual only | No auto-grade. Set point value, grade by hand in Responses. |
| Multiple choice | Yes | Standard auto-grade. |
| Checkboxes | Yes | Student must select all correct AND only correct options for full credit. No partial credit natively. |
| Dropdown | Yes | Same as multiple choice. |
| File upload | No | Manual grading only. |
| Linear scale | No | Can't have a correct answer. |
| Multiple choice grid | No | Can't have a correct answer. |
| Checkbox grid | No | Same. |
| Date / Time | No | Same. |
If you want auto-grading, stick to the four supported types.
Common quiz settings troubleshooting
The Answer key option isn't showing
99% of the time: Quiz mode is off. Settings tab → Make this a quiz → ON.
Other causes:
- You're on a question type that doesn't support answer keys (file upload, linear scale, grid types).
- You're editing on the mobile app - switch to desktop.
- You don't have edit permission on the form - ask the owner.
Students see their score but not which questions they got wrong
In Settings → Quizzes → Respondent can see → toggle Missed questions ON.
Students see the correct answer when I don't want them to
Settings → Quizzes → Respondent can see → toggle Correct answers OFF. Keep "Missed questions" ON so they at least know which they got wrong, without seeing the actual right answer.
Scores aren't releasing automatically
Settings → Quizzes → Release grade → set to Immediately after each submission. If it's set to "Later, after manual review", you need to release manually via the Responses tab.
Point values aren't summing correctly
Each question has its own point value. The form total is the sum of per-question values. If a question has 0 points set, it doesn't count toward the total. Check every question's Answer key view to confirm.
Answer key for short-answer questions marks correct answers as wrong
Short-answer matching is exact text match (case-insensitive but otherwise literal). "Paris" and "paris" both match; "Paris, France" does not match "Paris". Add every reasonable variant as a separate accepted answer in the Answer key view.
Checkbox question gives 0 points when student selects most-but-not-all correct options
Google Forms checkbox grading is all-or-nothing - student must select ALL correct options AND ONLY correct options for the full point value. There's no native partial credit for checkbox questions. Workaround: use multiple separate multiple-choice questions instead, or grade manually.
Quiz settings don't persist when I duplicate the form
Most settings transfer on File → Make a copy, including answer keys and point values. Score release timing and respondent-visibility settings sometimes need to be re-set on the copy - check Settings → Quizzes after duplicating.
The shortcut: skip manual quiz setup entirely
If you have the quiz in Word, PDF, or Google Docs, you don't need to walk through this settings dance question-by-question. Formswrite reads the source document and creates the Google Form with Quiz Mode on, answer keys set, point values applied, and (where the source includes them) per-choice feedback already configured.
Workflow:
- Upload your Word doc, PDF, Google Doc, or CSV.
- Review the parsed questions in the editor.
- Click Export to Google Forms.
- The Google Form lands in your Drive - all the settings above are already configured to sensible defaults.
For a 25-question quiz the manual path takes 15-20 minutes of clicking. Formswrite does it in ~90 seconds.
FAQ
What's the difference between Quiz Mode and regular Google Forms?
Quiz Mode enables auto-grading: questions have correct answers, points, and respondents see scores after submission. Regular forms are for surveys and intake - no grading. The toggle is in Settings → Make this a quiz.
Can I set per-choice feedback for both correct and incorrect responses?
Yes - both. The Answer key view has fields for incorrect response feedback and correct response feedback. Each can include a link to additional resources. Feedback only displays if "Respondent can see → Missed questions" is enabled in form settings.
How do I make Google Forms grade a short answer question automatically?
Short answer questions support auto-grading via exact text match (case-insensitive). In the Answer key view, type each acceptable answer as a separate entry. Common practice: include 3-5 variants per question to catch typos and phrasing differences.
Can I give partial credit for checkbox questions?
Not natively. Google Forms checkbox grading is all-or-nothing - students must select all correct options AND only correct options for full credit. To simulate partial credit, split the question into multiple single-correct-answer questions, or grade manually.
How do I release quiz scores in bulk later?
Set "Release grade" to "Later, after manual review" in Settings. Open the Responses tab → Individual → select submissions → Release score. You can release all at once or in batches.
Why can students see their answers but not their score?
Score visibility requires Settings → Quizzes → Respondent can see → Point values to be ON. If only "Missed questions" or "Correct answers" is ON, they see what was right or wrong but not the numeric score.
Do Google Forms quiz settings transfer when I copy the form?
Mostly yes. Answer keys and point values transfer through File → Make a copy. Some respondent-visibility and score-release settings sometimes need to be re-set - check Settings → Quizzes after duplicating.
Related guides
- Where to Find the Answer Key in Google Forms - direct snippet answer if you're stuck finding the Answer key button specifically.
- How to Make an Answer Key in Google Forms - step-by-step tutorial for creating the answer key, with the auto-detect path from a source document.
- PDF to Google Forms Converter - turn a PDF quiz directly into a Google Form with these settings preconfigured.
- AI Quiz Generator: From Any Document - generate the quiz AND the settings from raw source material.
- How to Print a Google Form - print the quiz as a paper version with the answer key on the teacher copy.
- Google Form to PDF Converter - export the form or its responses as PDFs for records.
- How to Make a Fillable Form in Google Docs - when the source is a Google Doc rather than a Google Form.
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