How to make a practice quiz in Canvas that doesn’t count toward the grade
Short answer: in Canvas, go to Quizzes → Add Quiz → Classic Quizzes and set Quiz Type to Practice Quiz. Or open Course++ in your course and type: “Make a 10-question practice quiz on the Chapter 3 vocabulary that doesn’t count toward the grade.”
The problem
I want students to practice, not to be graded.
Canvas has two quiz tools, and each hides this setting in a different place. New Quizzes has no practice type at all, so a quiz you meant as practice can still land in the Gradebook.
two quiz toolsa different setting in each
The fix
Say it counts for nothing. Course++ sets it up.
It shows you a plan, you approve it, and it builds the quiz in your course. You read it over before students see anything.
1 sentenceunpublished until you say
Prompts you can copy
Open your Canvas course, open Course++ beside it, and paste one of these. Change the names and numbers to match your course.
Make a 10-question practice quiz on the Chapter 3 vocabulary that doesn’t count toward the grade. Let students retake it as many times as they want.
The basic version, with unlimited retakes.Turn the Unit 2 quiz into a practice quiz that doesn’t count toward the grade.
When you already have the questions and just want them ungraded.Make a New Quiz of 8 practice questions on the water cycle, worth 0 points, with the instructions “Practice only, not graded.”
If your school uses New Quizzes. Say “New Quiz” by name.I attached last year’s Chapter 3 vocabulary handout as a PDF. Make a 15-question practice quiz from those words, matching each word to its meaning, with unlimited retakes.
When the words are already on a handout you trust.Which quizzes in this course are set as practice quizzes, and which count toward the grade? List them by module.
A quick check. It only reads; nothing changes.
How to make a practice quiz in Canvas by hand
- In Course Navigation, click Quizzes, then Add Quiz. If Canvas asks for a quiz engine, choose Classic Quizzes and click Submit.
- On the Details tab, set Quiz Type to Practice Quiz.
- To let students retake it, tick Allow Multiple Attempts.
- Open the Questions tab and click New Question for each question.
- Click Save. When you are ready, click Publish.
- In New Quizzes, there is no practice type. Set the points to 0, or tick Do not count this assignment towards the final grade. Then click Build to add questions.
Good to know
- A classic practice quiz stays out of the Gradebook. Students see their score but no grade. Put the quiz in a module so they can find it.
- You can attach the source. Course++ reads PDFs and images up to 10 MB each, such as an old handout or a textbook page. Save Word or PowerPoint files as a PDF first.
- A New Quiz can still show in the Gradebook. “Do not count” keeps it out of the final grade, not out of the Gradebook. At 0 points, Canvas offers to hide it from the Gradebook. Either way, write “Practice only, not graded” in the instructions.
- Some schools turn off new classic quizzes. If Canvas never offers Classic Quizzes, use New Quizzes. Course++ makes a classic quiz unless you say “New Quiz,” and it can’t undo New Quizzes changes, so review before you publish. For a quiz at the end of each module, see self-check quizzes.
Questions teachers ask
How do I make an ungraded quiz in Canvas?
In Classic Quizzes, set Quiz Type to Practice Quiz on the Details tab. In New Quizzes, set the points to 0 or tick “Do not count this assignment towards the final grade.”
Does a practice quiz show up in the Gradebook?
A classic practice quiz does not. A New Quiz marked “do not count” still has a Gradebook column, but it does not change the final grade. At 0 points, Canvas lets you hide it from the Gradebook.
Can students retake a practice quiz?
Yes, if you tick Allow Multiple Attempts. With Course++, add “let students retake it” to your request.
Will Course++ publish the practice quiz?
No. It builds new quizzes unpublished, so you can read the questions and check the settings first.
250 FREE credits to try it. No credit card.
Canvas steps checked against Instructure’s own Canvas guides in October 2026. Canvas changes its screens from time to time, and schools turn features on and off, so a button may be named a little differently in yours.