The use of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) is becoming increasingly popular. And though most of us are not even aware of its existence, OMR technology is already applied in different institutions like schools, offices, and the military because it can gather and produce results within a short period of time by means of an OMR scanner and an OMR answer sheet…
Did you know?: The Nigerian Army is already using OMR software to recruit applicants based on their merits.
To those who are not familiar with this, and OMR form or answer sheet is a specialized kind of form with different circles indicating the choice of answers from every multiple choice question. Without a doubt, the use of OMR sheet is beneficial in many ways (considering the rising number of organizations using it), but it can also have its share of setbacks if not used properly.
And so in today’s entry, we are going to discuss the pros and cons of using an OMR answer sheet and how it can help to make your school or company become more proficient in gathering test results.
PROS
Optical Mark Recognition is very accurate in collecting data and is also adept even in interpreting yes or no questions
As human beings, we are limited to the ability of reading, transposing, and interpreting data. And more often than not, we also commit mistakes due to factors like mistyping of data or work fatigue, which can lead to the inaccuracy of the result.
But by using Optical Mark Recognition, the collection of data from the answer sheets will be more accurate as the mistakes caused by human error will be eliminated.
Investment cost is decreased as only one computer is needed to store data
Once an OMR form is scanned, the results will automatically be transposed into digital data. And the same is also done when another answer sheet passes through the scanning machine.
After all the forms are scanned, the data will then be gathered and stored in a single computer so that it can be easily retrieved for future use.
Hard work is lessened
Encoding of data from standardized forms can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. That’s why some companies employ many people to speed up the process of producing results, and this will also translate to additional cost.
But with OMR technology, the process of producing results from OMR forms is increased while shrinking the workforce involved in completing such task, which will allow the company to save money at the same time.
CONS
If the markings are too light, then OMR software will not be able to read the data from the OMR answer sheet
That’s why companies who are using OMR technology must instruct survey respondents, test takers, and examinees to mark their answers clearly so the machine can read and interpret their answers.
The OMR software will only read answers which are identical to each other
Aside from marking the answer sheet clearly, examinees must also be instructed to pay attention while filling up information fields, avoid marking two or more bubbles in one number (provided it’s a single choice question), and filling only half of the details to prevent their answer sheets from being invalid.
Forms cannot be torn or folded in any way
Finally, the examinees’ answer sheet should be folded or torn in any way. Likewise, it should also be free of any dirt marks. Otherwise, the OMR scanner will be able to interpret the answer and it will be considered as invalid.
Final Word
These are the pros and cons of using an OMR answer sheet that you need to be mindful of before implementing OMR technology into your organization. We hope that you have learned something from this entry.