Scantron

[Augustus]

Anybody else hate the inventor of Scantron?

I swear it has never done me any good and only done me harm.

I'm taking a class that is all Scantron all the exams are 40 multiple choice, so each Q is worth 2.5 points. I bubbled in the wrong letter on my Scantron sheet and ended up with a 95 as a result.. But it was correct on my hard copy and the professor refused to give me credit. BS!

3 exams which means if I want to get an A I can only afford to get 8 questions wrong all semester. But, I got a 92.5 on the first exam.

Scantron has marked correct answers wrong on me before because the sheet was bent or something like that. But, of course, it never works in your favor.

Damn you Scantron!!!! (Sorry, had to vent)

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[Chronicle]

Anybody else hate the inventor of Scantron?

I swear it has never done me any good and only done me harm.

I'm taking a class that is all Scantron all the exams are 40 multiple choice, so each Q is worth 2.5 points. I bubbled in the wrong letter on my Scantron sheet and ended up with a 95 as a result.. But it was correct on my hard copy and the professor refused to give me credit. BS!

3 exams which means if I want to get an A I can only afford to get 8 questions wrong all semester. But, I got a 92.5 on the first exam.

Scantron has marked correct answers wrong on me before because the sheet was bent or something like that. But, of course, it never works in your favor.

Damn you Scantron!!!! (Sorry, had to vent)

Sorry to hear that. I hope things have gone well at your end though.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Anybody else hate the inventor of Scantron?

I swear it has never done me any good and only done me harm.

I'm taking a class that is all Scantron all the exams are 40 multiple choice, so each Q is worth 2.5 points. I bubbled in the wrong letter on my Scantron sheet and ended up with a 95 as a result.. But it was correct on my hard copy and the professor refused to give me credit. BS!

3 exams which means if I want to get an A I can only afford to get 8 questions wrong all semester. But, I got a 92.5 on the first exam.

Scantron has marked correct answers wrong on me before because the sheet was bent or something like that. But, of course, it never works in your favor.

Damn you Scantron!!!! (Sorry, had to vent)

My sociology classes was scantron based. It was ok, if my chem class however was scantron based I would likely no longer be pre-med .

 

[mwalker394]

I sympathize with you greatly.

Also, when I read the title of this thread, I read "Scranton," like the Pennsylvania town from The Office. I thought you were complaining about the inventor of a town, which seemed odd. Maybe I have dyslexia...

 

[JJMrK]

I like them because you get your tests graded much faster.

 

[Frazier]

I bubbled in the wrong letter on my Scantron sheet and ended up with a 95 as a result..

Don't worry.
I have good news for you and it's this: I hate getting 95s too.

96s are the new 100s.

 

[orthomyxo]

My sociology classes was scantron based. It was ok, if my chem class however was scantron based I would likely no longer be pre-med .

My chem class is scantron based. What's so bad about parscore forms anyway? It's not very difficult to avoid making mistakes.

OP, just wanted to say that I am so deeply deeply sorry to hear about your 95. Send my heartfelt condolences to your neuroticism.

 

[Frazier]

My chem class is scantron based. What's so bad about parscore forms anyway? It's not very difficult to avoid making mistakes.

OP, just wanted to say that I am so deeply deeply sorry to hear about your 95. Send my heartfelt condolences to your neuroticism.

Yea, I like my multiple choice chem exams.

 

[orthomyxo]

Yea, I like my multiple choice chem exams.

I know, right? All the answers are right in front of you!

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I know, right? All the answers are right in front of you!

I like short answers. Like my tests are like 30 points multiple choice, 70 points short answers. At least if your somewhat correct and write something relevant you'll get some points.

 

[oaklandguy]

Gen Chem I was scantron based and all of my Intro Bio classes were scantron except for lab. Calc-based Physics was scantron as well.

Some profs use scantron and some don't, you should find out before registering for classes, I usually prefer professors who do use scantrons.

 

[Frazier]

I like short answers. Like my tests are like 30 points multiple choice, 70 points short answers. At least if your somewhat correct and write something relevant you'll get some points.

Very True.
I suppose, when it's all said and done, it just comes down to the ancient Chinese proverb spoken by the dalai llama and translated by moses:

"Different strokes for different folks."

 

[Badancil]

anyone else look at this and think "scranton" , as in, the office.

 

[Augustus]

Very True.
I suppose, when it's all said and done, it just comes down to the ancient Chinese proverb spoken by the dalai llama and translated by moses:

"Different strokes for different folks."

I thought that was Newton's 3rd Law and everybody knows 1 & 2.

(1) Beer before liquor never been sicker & I think 2 is... Chicks dig convertibles.

 

[vickpick]

lol, quit hatin' on the bubble sheets.. (scantron's the brand)

professors don't get paid enuf to do individual grading/ or pay for individual grading for large classes.

 

[JenniferRU]

Scantrons make me nervous, i spend a useless amount of time making my bubbles perfect.

 

[chman]

Scantrons make me nervous, i spend a useless amount of time making my bubbles perfect.

Me too. I also make extra sure that I am on the right number too. It ends up taking a long time. However, when it comes down to it multiple choice is easier than short answer most of the time. So I will take a scantron for a chem or bio class any day.

 

[njbmd]

Anybody else hate the inventor of Scantron?

I swear it has never done me any good and only done me harm.

I'm taking a class that is all Scantron all the exams are 40 multiple choice, so each Q is worth 2.5 points. I bubbled in the wrong letter on my Scantron sheet and ended up with a 95 as a result.. But it was correct on my hard copy and the professor refused to give me credit. BS!

3 exams which means if I want to get an A I can only afford to get 8 questions wrong all semester. But, I got a 92.5 on the first exam.

Scantron has marked correct answers wrong on me before because the sheet was bent or something like that. But, of course, it never works in your favor.

Damn you Scantron!!!! (Sorry, had to vent)

When one has a large number of students in a class, exams are likely not going to be hand-graded.

What you write on a "hard-copy" is not graded and likely not even looked at. My students are required to return exam booklets and I scan them if the machine kicks out a paper but they are not graded - Get used to this because many medical schools use machine-graded tests.

If you were taking an exam on computer (USMLE for example), if you have the right answer written on your scratch board but the wrong answer on the computer, guess what? You don't get any credit for this.

Be care with machine grading systems and master the art of making sure you don't "screw-up" on these. It's your fault if you do because plenty of students are able to mark their answer sheets correctly and don't blame the "system".

 

[roseglass6370]

I like them because you get your tests graded much faster.

THIS.


Just be extra careful when filling in the bubbles. I've known people who accidentally skipped over one of the "bubble lines" and got every question from there on out on the exam wrong because they were all one off.

I'm anal about making sure the bubbles are all filled in. I double check it at least 2 times.

But overall, scantron is amazing. Fast grading and, as someone else said, ALL THE ANSWERS ARE IN FRONT OF YOU! Doesn't get much better than that. <3 Multiple choice!

 

[cpants]

Better get used to it. I can only think of maybe one test in med school so far that wasn't scantron.

Tips:
1. Bubble in after every page of the exam, instead of waiting til the end to bubble. You are much less likely to make mistakes.

2. Every few pages or show, just double check you are on the right number as you bubble.

 

[Abby_Normal]

I am not overly fond of the scantron because, as exam formats go, it is one of the easiest on which to make and then not notice errors in filling out answers. The fear of accidentally filling in the wrong circle just adds anxiety to the test.

Even with reading glasses, I find I am more prone to eye strain on scantron tests than regular tests. Anyone else have this experience?

That said, because of the quick turnaround, there have been some cases in which I have found them the lesser evil, particularly in summer courses.

 

[bioteach]

Better get used to it. I can only think of maybe one test in med school so far that wasn't scantron.

Just what I was going to say. Finishing up 2nd year of med school right now and every test we've taken thus far, including anatomy lab, has been on scantron.

 

[b-real]

Better get used to it. I can only think of maybe one test in med school so far that wasn't scantron.

Not necessarily. Most med schools, including mine, have computer-based exams. While they're still multiple choice, I think it's harder to make mistakes "bubbling in."

 

[chman]

Not necessarily. Most med schools, including mine, have computer-based exams. While they're still multiple choice, I think it's harder to make mistakes "bubbling in."

I don't know about your computer exams in med-school, but I have a couple in undergrad that I hate. When doing them one can not skip questions to go back to later, which is a good strategy for multiple choice.

 

[boaz]

In a few years the scantron and other paper-based tests will be a relic of the ancient past. It'll almost all be computer based testing.

 

[Ischemic]

I hate computer based testings, it just doesn't feel natural. I like the feel of paper and pencil in hand.

Anyway, most tests are going to be scantron so stop whining. Unless you're in one of those schools that test on computers, which I can't imagine myself doing for anything other than USMLE.

 

[orthomyxo]

I am not overly fond of the scantron because, as exam formats go, it is one of the easiest on which to make and then not notice errors in filling out answers. The fear of accidentally filling in the wrong circle just adds anxiety to the test.

Even with reading glasses, I find I am more prone to eye strain on scantron tests than regular tests. Anyone else have this experience?

That said, because of the quick turnaround, there have been some cases in which I have found them the lesser evil, particularly in summer courses.

Yes! Especially on really long tests with lots of bubbling. My eyes get really confused and blurry from staring down at all of the little squares.

 

[BlueElmo]

I love Scantrons! They rock. I like those slim ones with green letters.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I hate computer based testings, it just doesn't feel natural. I like the feel of paper and pencil in hand.

Anyway, most tests are going to be scantron so stop whining. Unless you're in one of those schools that test on computers, which I can't imagine myself doing for anything other than USMLE.

I'm actually the opposite lol. Btw did you take the mcat on the computer or on paper?