Paper multiple-choice exams, managed from questions to results.

Print&Scan handles single-answer multiple choice, multiple-answer questions (select all that apply) with partial-credit options, and true/false questions. Numerical fill-in questions are converted to multiple-choice format. Matching and ranking questions are broken down into individual multiple-choice questions, so each part can be marked and analysed.

Questions can include diagrams, charts, tables, mathematical equations and text in several languages.

Questions can also be organised in pools, groups of questions from which a random selection is drawn for each student. This is useful for large courses, where the security of the question bank matters: each student can be given a different random selection.

Every scoring rule is configurable. We set it up with you during preparation.

Positive-only marking

Points for correct answers, zero for incorrect ones.

Negative marking

Penalties for wrong answers, to discourage guessing.

Partial credit

For multiple-answer questions, a student who selects some of the correct choices earns part of the points.

All-or-nothing

Full points only if all the correct choices, and none of the incorrect ones, are selected.

Custom point values

Different questions can carry different weights.

Within 24–48 hours of receiving the scanned papers, you receive three deliverables.

1. Excel gradebook

Individual scores for every student, class statistics and percentile rankings, ready to import into your institution’s systems. A percentile ranking shows where a student stands within the cohort: a student at the 80th percentile scored higher than 80 per cent of the cohort.

2. Annotated individual copies

Each student’s paper as a PDF, showing the answers we read, the correct answers and the score applied. Correct answers are marked in green and incorrect ones in red, and the correct answer is shown for every missed question. Marking is transparent and auditable, which reduces grade disputes.

3. Statistical report

The report is built on Classical Test Theory, a long-established statistical framework for evaluating tests. You do not need to know it to read the report. Each measure is explained below in plain terms.

For each question

Difficulty index (p)

The share of students who answered the question correctly. A value of 0.30 means a hard question; 0.85 means an easy one.

Discrimination score (D)

How well the question separates stronger students from weaker ones. Above 0.30 is the target; above 0.70 is excellent.

Item-total correlation

How closely success on this question follows success on the whole exam. Students who do well overall should tend to get it right.

Distractor analysis

A distractor is a wrong answer choice. The analysis counts how many students chose each one, which reveals misleading wrong answers, and implausible ones that nobody chose.

For the whole exam

Mean, median and standard deviation

The mean is the average score. The median is the middle score: half the students scored above it, half below. The standard deviation shows how widely scores spread around the average.

Score distribution

A histogram: a bar chart showing how many students fall into each score range.

Percentile rankings

Where each student stands within the cohort, as described for the gradebook above.

Cronbach’s alpha

A reliability coefficient for the exam as a whole, with a target above 0.70. In plain terms, it shows how consistently the exam measures the same ability.

Flags that tell you what to act on

Negative discrimination

Stronger students did worse on the question than weaker ones. This is often an answer-key error, so review it immediately.

Discrimination below 0.20

The question does not tell stronger from weaker students apart. Consider revising it.

Unused wrong answers

A choice that nobody picked is not working as a wrong answer. Replace it.

Extreme difficulty

Questions that are too easy (p above 0.90) or too hard (p below 0.10) add little to what the exam measures.

We also offer advisory sessions to interpret the results and turn them into concrete strategies for revising your questions. See consulting on results.

These six rules keep marking accurate. Please share them with whoever runs the exam and the scanning.

Requirement	Rule
Marking instrument	Black pen only. No blue pens, pencils, coloured pens or highlighters.
Scanning mode	Black and white only. No colour, no grey-scale (shades of grey).
Before scanning	Remove all staples and clips.
Question format	Numbered questions, lettered choices, and an asterisk (*) before the correct answer.
Deadline	Ideally one month before the exam; two weeks at the minimum.
Scan format	PDF, uploaded through the secure link that Print&Scan supplies.

Send your Word document and student list by then. This leaves time for the quality-control review, for you to check the prepared exam and for your institution to print it. Results follow within 24–48 hours of receiving the scanned papers.