> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.timelygrader.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.timelygrader.ai/canvas-support-articles/quizzes/edit-quiz.md).

# Editing a Quiz’s Rubric and Questions

Change a quiz’s rubric, rubric type, quiz type, criteria mapping and grading notes after import.

<figure><img src="https://3711328535-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVTk0635Lo8R5owJx3bPK%2Fuploads%2F2fxvIUk6kO5NV6YbNqZ3%2Farticle-banner.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

After a quiz is imported you can change everything about how it’s graded: the rubric, its shape, how criteria map to questions, and the grading notes for each question. The questions themselves, and their point values, come from Canvas and can’t be edited in TimelyGrader.

{% hint style="info" %}
The editor saves as you go. When you click out of a field, **Save** reads **Saving…** and then **Autosaved**.
{% endhint %}

## Opening the editor

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open the quiz

On the Quizzes page, click the quiz, then click **Edit** at the top of the quiz page.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Pick a tab

The editor opens on **Rubric & Quiz Type**, because the rubric shape decides what the **Questions** tab shows. Switching tabs keeps your edits.

<figure><img src="https://3711328535-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVTk0635Lo8R5owJx3bPK%2Fuploads%2FlH9NqyQJxt7KafNTpR2h%2FScreenshot%202026-10-14%20at%203.00.04%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&amp;token=9117d037-cd4e-41e1-a6ac-6518778643e2" alt="Quiz editor open on the Rubric &#x26; Quiz Type tab, next to the Questions tab"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Rubric & Quiz Type

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Check the rubric

**Quiz Rubric** lists every criterion with its points and the total. Click **Expand all criteria** to see each rating. With a question-by-question rubric, each criterion also shows the question it grades.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Edit the rubric

Click **Edit rubric**. In the **Edit Rubric** dialog you can change the **Rubric Name** and **Scoring Mode** (**Scored** or **Unscored**), rename, duplicate, reorder or collapse criteria, and set each rating’s **Points**, **Title** and **Description**. **Sort Ratings** sets the order: **Descending** puts the highest points first, which is how the grading views read. Click **+** between two ratings to insert one there.

<figure><img src="https://3711328535-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVTk0635Lo8R5owJx3bPK%2Fuploads%2Frkxbwb4HU2CN2vGTqdCW%2FScreenshot%202026-10-14%20at%203.00.40%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&amp;token=32fb5d66-2c9a-4b82-8473-97193cfeb134" alt="Edit Rubric dialog with the rubric name, scoring mode, and each criterion’s ratings, points and descriptions"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

When you’re done:

* **Apply** saves the rubric to this quiz only.
* **Save as a Template** stores it for use across the course.
* **Cancel** discards your changes.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Remove or attach a rubric

Click **Remove rubric** and confirm. Grading stays off until another rubric is attached. The rubric itself isn’t deleted; it stays available to every other assessment in the course. The quiz then shows **No rubric attached**, and the button becomes **Attach rubric**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Change the Rubric Type or Quiz Type

These work as they do during import:

* **Holistic Rubric** grades the whole quiz against one set of criteria. **Question-By-Question Rubric** gives each question its own criteria.
* **Interdependent Questions** has TimelyGrader read the full attempt before grading any one question. **Standalone Questions** grades each question from its own response only.

Changing the rubric type changes the grading view for the attempts you grade from then on.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Check the mapping

**Map criteria by order automatically** matches criteria to questions by their order. Untick it to assign criteria by hand: each criterion shows **Grades question** with a button for each question.

<figure><img src="https://3711328535-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVTk0635Lo8R5owJx3bPK%2Fuploads%2FJ4z93Kmg94P2dEP6jFHm%2FScreenshot%202026-10-14%20at%203.01.06%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&amp;token=6c36a6f9-308a-4b45-9fc8-30207edcff90" alt="Map criteria by order automatically checkbox, with a Grades question button for each written question under every criterion"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="warning" %}
A mismatch between a criterion and a question must be resolved before student submissions can be imported.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Questions

The **Questions** tab lists the **Questions graded on TimelyGrader**, with their points.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Assign criteria

With a question-by-question rubric, use each question’s **Criterion** list to choose the criteria that grade it. A criterion sits on one question; a question may carry several. Assigning a criterion by hand turns off mapping by order. A question without one reads **None assigned yet — this question cannot be graded until one is.**

With a holistic rubric, criteria aren’t assigned per question, so the list isn’t shown.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Write grading notes

Use **Grading Notes** to tell the AI what a good answer to this question contains. Notes apply to that question only, with either rubric type. They guide the evidence the AI looks for; the rubric still decides the score.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Saving and leaving

* **Save** commits every edit on the page.
* **Cancel** and **Back to the quiz** return to the quiz page. Anything you’ve clicked out of is already saved; only an edit you’re still typing is lost.
* **Publish** or **Unpublish** changes whether students can see the quiz. See [Managing Quizzes](/canvas-support-articles/quizzes/publishing-a-quiz.md).

## FAQ

<details>

<summary>Why is grading off for this quiz?</summary>

No rubric is attached. Written answers can’t be scored without criteria, so attach a rubric on the Rubric & Quiz Type tab.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Will editing the rubric change other assignments?</summary>

Not if you click Apply, which changes this quiz only. Save as a Template stores the rubric for use across the course.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I edit the question text or point values?</summary>

No. They come from Canvas.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I change the rubric type after grading has started?</summary>

Yes. The new shape applies to the grading view from then on. With a holistic rubric, per-question criteria disappear from the Questions tab, but grading notes still apply per question.

</details>

## Related articles

* [Importing a Quiz](/canvas-support-articles/quizzes/import-quiz.md)
* [Grading a Quiz Attempt](/canvas-support-articles/quizzes/quiz-grading.md)
* [Managing Quizzes](/canvas-support-articles/quizzes/publishing-a-quiz.md)