Scantron Readers are Evil
Image ©2015 Brian Cantoni
Remember these things? Once the teachers got these guys, they used them for everything! I hated bubbling the answers in. I spent so much time counting and recounting lines to make sure I had the right answers in the right slots. I understand why the teachers liked them, but they sure were a pain to use.
Here's what I don't get... The instructions always said two things that I thought were completely contradictory.
- Fill in answers completely. If the mark isn't dark enough, the computer might not read the answer as correct.
- If you make a mistake, please erase the mark completely. If any mark is left, it could be read as a wrong answer.
Did you see the conflict? Fill it in solid because it can't read a light mark. Erase it all the way to keep it from reading a light mark. Either my pencil isn't the only #2 around here or the following sentence is true:
Scantron machines are not just looking at the darkness of the mark. They are also somehow capable of determining your original intention. And they are set up to choose whatever is not in your favor!
