Use this guide with a free ScanScore resource
- Mock-test planning pack — Plan the schedule, attendance, marking scheme and exam-day checks.
Running an OMR test well is mostly logistics. Done right, students feel it is a proper exam and the marking afterwards takes minutes. This is a step-by-step routine you can reuse for every test.
Preparation
- Final paper and key. Have a second teacher check the key.
- Create the exam in ScanScore with marks and any penalty.
- Print sheets plus spares using the printing tips.
- Decide seating and sets; see multi-set papers.
Starting the test
- Give out the sheets first, then the question papers.
- Read out the filling rules, including the negative-marking rule.
- Check the roll number grid is filled before students begin.
- Write the start and finish time on the board.
During the test
- Walk the room; look for double marks and heavy erasing.
- Hand a fresh sheet to anyone who badly spoils theirs.
- Announce time warnings at the half and with five minutes left.
Collecting sheets
Collect sheets flat, face up, and keep them out of folders that fold the corners. A crease through a corner mark is the thing most likely to cause a bad scan.
Marking
- Scan the stack in batch mode — checking sheets fast.
- Open any flagged paper and fix it — manual correction.
- Look at the questions most students missed.
- Share results — WhatsApp or PDF and CSV.
Planning a series? Use the mock-test planning guide. Weighing paper against screens? See OMR versus online tests.
Keep reading: Conduct secure online CBT exams