We will design your answer sheets for each component e.g. Mathematics, English, Verbal Reasoning, etc.

These flexible form layouts contain a mix of multiple choice questions (MCQ) and/or short written responses. Additionally, the structured form templates are optimised for high-speed processing by data capture software later in the process, with cornerstones and ID blocks to reduce manual intervention.

Before distribution, we can pre-print the test takers information (name, school, date of birth etc.) onto the answer sheet. This information can also be encoded into a two-dimensional (2D) barcode for immediate recognition.

These personalised answer sheets will be despatched to each venue/test centre. Non-personalised answer sheets are available for contingency use in the event of lost or damaged originals.

At the end of the entrance exam, completed examination papers can either be scanned locally, on-site by yourselves, or despatched to our scanning facility for high-speed scanning.

Once scanning is complete, the test marking software will perform image processing, classification, mark/character recognition, and data extraction using handprint (ICR), machine print (OCR), checkbox (OMR), and barcode recognition technology.

Automated marking for MCQs

OMR technology can, for example, read candidate responses to MCQs and export a value for each question (i.e. A, B, C, D). Alternatively, OMR can mark each question (if pre-loaded with the answer-key) and export a final score (rather than raw responses).

Any exceptions will be queued for human verification based on bespoke rules. Examples include barcode not read, duplicate papers, more than one multiple-choice option marked, a value not within expected numeric ranges, and non-alpha or numeric characters found.

Once verified, we run reconciliation reports on the data, allowing us to spot missing, duplicate or other unusual cases that may require investigation.

We can also provide observations/analysis on the processing across the whole cohort, which can be used to highlight questions that may be poorly worded for example.

We provide a data export containing details of every candidate’s performance in each component sat. This can contain either the raw data (allowing you to grade later) or the final scores.

Scanned answer sheets – and verified data – will be made available to schools, allowing for answer papers to be searched for and viewed on-screen instantly. This allows for parent appeals, re-marking and future reference without the need to store bulky original paper copies.

The paper answer sheets can be securely destroyed after an agreed storage period.