Use this guide with a free ScanScore resource
- Free A4 OMR sheet PDFs — Ready-to-print answer sheets in three sizes, with four or five options.
Most “wrong” OMR results are not scanner errors. They are sheets that were filled in a way no machine — or phone — can read with certainty. This page is written so a teacher can read it out, print it, or put it on the board before the exam. It takes two minutes and protects every mark.
The ten rules
- Use a dark pen or a soft pencil. Pale pencil and light gel pens can look empty.
- Fill the whole bubble. Completely and darkly — a tick, cross or dot is not an answer.
- One bubble per question. Two filled bubbles are flagged and may not score.
- Do not go outside the circle or leave white gaps inside it.
- Changing an answer? Erase the old one completely before filling the new one.
- Write the roll number in the digits and fill the matching bubble in every column.
- Fill the set code if your paper is Set A, B, C or D, so it is marked against the right key.
- Do not write inside the printed frame or touch the black corner marks.
- Keep the sheet flat and clean. No folds across the corners, no stains.
- Check before you hand in. Question numbers must match the bubbles you filled.
Good marks and bad marks
| Mark | What happens |
|---|---|
| Dark, full circle | Read as an answer |
| Light or partial fill | May read as blank |
| Tick or cross | May read as blank |
| Two circles filled | Flagged for the teacher |
| Smudge after poor erasing | Can look like a second answer |
A teacher can always look at a scanned paper and correct a mark before saving — see reviewing a scan — but it is much better if the sheet is clear in the first place.
The roll number grid
The roll number is read from the bubbles, not from the digits you wrote. If a column is empty or has two bubbles, the result cannot be filed against the right student. More in roll numbers on an OMR sheet.
For teachers
- Hand out a sheet to practise on before the real test.
- Say the negative-marking rule aloud — see negative marking.
- Print sheets cleanly: printing tips.
- Scan quickly with ScanScore; it is free with no scan limit.
New to OMR? Start with what OMR is and how it works.