The Addmen OMR software is the most sought after software for reading and evaluating OMR answer sheets. The reason for this is that this software processes the sheets in a short time; it can read and evaluate three scanned OMR sheets in one second. Due to this, several entrance and competition exams in India use OMR sheets as their answer sheets.
Apart from the ease of processing the sheets, the OMR software is also popular because it helps in designing different types of sheets. These include normal MCQ type sheets, two-sided/duplex sheets, carbonless sheets, two-part OMR sheets, etc.
The MCQ type OMR sheets can hold up to 300 questions with 4-5 options. In case of two-sided OMR sheets, the questions can be printed on both sides of the sheet. The carbonless OMR sheets are those where a copy is attached to the main sheet. The students can take the copy with them after the examination.
As most entrance examinations make use of the OMR sheets, candidates or students have several queries about filling and handling them. Let us find some answers for the most frequently asked questions about OMR sheets and Optical Mark Reading pattern.
The instructions for filling the OMR sheets are always provided on the answer sheet. Students have to read these instructions carefully at the beginning of the examination, to avoid losing marks due to silly mistakes. The rules for filling the sheets may not be the same for every examination. However, there are some general instructions that are common:
Answer bubbles should be filled completely and not left half-filled or with a tick mark, unless checkboxes are provided.
Students or candidates should make use of ball point pen (black or blue). The use of pencil is usually restricted in most exams that use OMR sheets.
Gel pens and ink pens should not be used under any circumstances, as it spoils the paper and causes rejections while processing the sheets.
The ink or mark should not extend to adjacent bubbles. There should be no stray marks on the paper, especially near the index points.
Knowing about the common mistakes that most students make while filling the OMR sheets would help to avoid them. Let us take a look at some of them:
Nor reading the instructions on the OMR sheet is the biggest mistake. There may be some changes on every test paper. So read them before every exam.
Using pencil to mark your answers when it is specified that you must use a ball point pen is also erroneous.
Not filling or incorrectly filling the roll no. is a grave mistake. This may be the only way of identifying your paper.
Doing rough work on the OMR sheets is a big mistake. Use separate supplement for this purpose.
Trying to erase the pen marks on the OMR bubbles using whitener is a mistake that you should avoid. A mark once made cannot be erased, and the use of whiteners on OMR sheets is banned by most institutions.
OMR sheets have to be handled with utmost care. Students as well as invigilators have to make sure that the sheets are not folded, torn or damaged in any way.
They should not pin, tie or staple the OMR sheets.
These sheets should be stored in packets or pouches.
Also, it is important not to crush the sheets together after collecting them.
As filling and handling of OMR sheets have to be done with care, it sometimes becomes necessary to practice on the sheets beforehand. With this purpose in mind, we have provided sample OMR sheets. You can download free OMR sheet samples from here.