OMR Services - an overview
An optical mark reader (OMR) is able to rapidly read specially designed candidate answer sheets, such as the double sided sheet in use at Curtin. (Click either image to see a larger version.)
Optical mark readers look for the presence or absence of shaded areas on the form, in specified fields filled in by students to indicate their choice of answer. Other information such as student name / ID number can also be captured this way.
Note that although they are often called scanners, such readers don’t usually produce an image of the form. Instead, they produce an output file containing data obtained from reading the form fields.
A new system (based on the Pearson Opscan 8 [PDF 179kb]) has been installed in the Assessment Centre (see picture below). This is able to process standard candidate answer sheets and provides a comprehensive range of reports and spreadsheets, all of which have been specially configured for use at Curtin. Samples of reports are available on these pages.
There are some special instructions that need to be followed when using OMR systems, and these are detailed on the Instructions for use page.
