OMR stands for Optical Mark Recognition. OMR allows you to read any “fill-in-the-bubble” type forms. Tests, surveys, elections, questionnaires, course evaluations, and many more types of forms require the use of OMR.
The acronym “OMR” stands for Optical Mark Recognition. This popular and highly accurate recognition technology is used for collecting data from “fill-in-the-bubble” types of questions on student tests, surveys, ballots, assessments, evaluations, and many other types of forms. OMR can be confused with other types of recognition including: OCR (Optical Character Recognition) – reading machine printed characters, and ICR (Intelligent Character Recognition) – reading handwritten characters
Optical Mark Recognition enables the respondent to select an answer to a question by filling in a “bubble” or “mark” associated with an answer choice. For instance, in the image on the right the respondent selected Excellent in a box to indicate that the location was Excellent.
In addition to multiple choice questions, OMR can be used to capture names, ID numbers, and other non-multiple-choice data as illustrated in the image to left. In this case, the respondent filled in his or her name as “KP CRABTREE”. Collecting this type of data with OMR is much more accurate than trying to recognize a respondent’s handwritten name using ICR technology.
Although OMR technology has been around a long time, the technology has continued to evolve. Traditional OMR systems require special scanners and pre-printed forms. While a quick and accurate technology, these hardware-based systems tend to be expensive and are typically limited to very high-volume applications. It was in 1991 when Gravic, Inc. invented the concept of plain-paper OMR and released the first version of the Remark Office OMR software. This software technology has evolved over time to become the world’s most popular solution for processing these types of forms. Gravic’s flexible technology works with scanners from any manufacturer and forms that can be created in any word processor. The software is used by customers ranging from large testing centers scanning millions of forms per year, to individual researchers who scan a few forms per day. Since 1991 Gravic has helped over 100,000 customers, in almost every country on the planet, quickly and easily collect data from billions of forms.
The world’s leading OMR software allows customers to create and print their own tests, surveys, evaluations, ballots, and other plain-paper forms. The software installs with a number of OMR fonts so you can easily design your own forms in any word processor or survey design tool. We offer a number of free sample forms and common form elements to further assist with your form design efforts. Scan completed forms using any image scanner or copier. The software includes built-in reports for grading tests and tabulating surveys. Easily exports data or grade information to most any other application. Download a free demo.
Fonts and Sample Forms
Cloud-based test grading solution for schools, universities, or training organizations. Instructors can build their own custom test bubble sheets with varying question types (multiple-choice, true/false, matching, math, short answer, essay, graphing questions). The application includes built-in test grading reports for easy performance tracking. Request a free trial.
OMR software that works in conjunction with traditional OMR scanners and OMR forms. Collect and analyze data from preprinted forms using OMR scanners from Scantron, Sekonic, Apperson, and Chatsworth Data. Download a free demo.
OMR is an acronym that stands for “Optical Mark Recognition”. Optical mark recognition is used for the purpose of determining which marks are filled in by a respondent on a paper form. OMR is typically used for purposes such as educational testing, surveys, and voting applications.
OMR is a technology typically used to process forms where a respondent indicates their response to a question by filling in a mark (sometimes referred to as a “bubble”) on the form. OMR is used to automatically process these types of forms with a high degree of accuracy and provide the user with data related to the filled in marks that can then be analyzed or exported.
OMR can be hardware based where a special scanner and forms need to be used, or software based where a software application uses intelligence to determine the responses filled in on the form. Software based OMR allows for much more flexibility in form design and does not require special paper for printing.
OMR, OCR, and ICR are three technologies used for collecting data from paper forms or documents. Many form processing applications use a combination of OMR, OCR, and ICR technologies to extract different types of data from forms.
OMR (Optical Mark Recognition)
OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
ICR (Intelligent Character Recognition)
The process of recognizing marks from a form was traditionally accomplished using specialized OMR scanners and forms. These machines, first produced by IBM and later by companies such as Scantron and Sekonic, shine a light source on a specially printed form that is filled in with a soft lead pencil (HB#2). The pencil marks do not reflect the light, so the scanner sees these dark areas as being filled in marks on the page. OMR scanners, sometimes referred to as “mark sense” scanners, are typically used for high volume applications such as high stakes tests and large-scale elections, where the forms don’t change.
With the advent of more powerful personal computers and image scanners in the 1990s and later, software OMR became more popular as it allows users to create and print their own forms, and to use inexpensive image scanners for the scanning. OMR software, first introduced in 1991 by Principia Products (now Gravic, Inc.), is now very popular due to a lower cost and more flexibility in form creation and printing. With a huge variety of image scanners available, it is used for both smaller scale applications such as surveys, and for larger scale form processing jobs such as elections.
No. Software OMR systems use image processing techniques to read marks from a page. The image scanners used do not have an issue picking up marks made in pencil, pen, marker, or other writing instruments. Very light colors may not work as well as darker colors. Hardware based OMR systems do typically need specially printed forms and generally must be filled in with a soft lead (HB#2, or a “number 2”) pencil or sometimes a black pen.
Remark Office OMR was the first OMR software product on the market, originally launched in 1991. It has been continually developed since then and hundreds of thousands of customers around the world have made use of it to process billions of forms. It is the most well-known OMR software brand.
OMR is useful for any forms processing application where a user needs to indicate a response to a question by filling in or checking a mark on the form. The most common uses for OMR are in the processing of exams, tests or assessments in educational institutions, paper surveys or evaluations, and elections using paper ballots. Other uses include forms such as safety observation forms, attendance sheets, lotteries, and many others. OMR is a very versatile and accurate technology.
Yes, a “bubble sheet” or “bubble form” is a common name for an OMR form. Since most, but not all OMR forms use a circle or oval as the shape of the mark, these are often referred to as “bubbles” such as when a teacher tells the students to “fill in the bubbles” on the form.