Marking online tests vs paper tests – key differences to know

However, marking online tests and marking paper tests is wildly different. They each have their own methods, challenges, and benefits, and if you’re thinking of switching from paper to online tests, understanding these differences is key to choosing the method that best suits your company or institution’s needs.

In this article, we explore these essential variations. We cover the marking process, the two main question types, and a side-by-side comparison, showing where each method shines so that you can make an informed decision.

1. The process

Marking paper tests

Paper tests are slow to mark, and the process is more hands-on compared to online tests. For large companies who employ marking contractors, it tends to be a drawn-out manual process that looks like the below:

1. Tests are collated and sent to markers: Once paper tests are completed by students, they’re collected, sorted, and posted to markers.
2. Markers score the tests: Markers read and assess each question. For question types with clear objective marks (like multiple choice), markers usually tally scores using answer keys. While marking, they write comments and corrections on the paper.
3. Markers compile the scores: Markers calculate the final scores, often with a calculator or spreadsheet.
4. Markers return the results: Markers post the tests back to the company or institution, who review the results. Or if the tests are double-marked, they post the papers to a different marker or marking team who goes through the same process before sending them back to the company.
5. The company reviews the results: Once received, the company reviews the marked papers and their results and decides whether they’re ready to forward to test-takers.

While straightforward, this process requires lots of manual work, is prone to human error, and is highly reliant on organisational skills. It can also cost the company a small fortune in postage fees.

Plus, depending on how many different markers score the tests, the process can take weeks (if not months) to complete.

Marking online tests

Online tests use technology to streamline the marking  . While each company or institution might have slightly different processes, here’s how it generally looks:

1. Markers receive the tests. Tests are available to mark as soon as the exam event is over, with markers notified by the system when ready. These markers can be permanent staff or contractors – they just need access to the system.
2. Markers score the tests: Question types with definitive, objective answers (e.g. multiple choice, true/false) are auto-marked by the system. Subjective questions with more complex marking criteria are scored against specific criteria saved in the system, which markers can see as they work through each question.
3. Markers set the tests as marked. Once scoring is finished, markers set the tests as complete and ready for review.
4. The company reviews the results: The team members responsible for reviewing the results are automatically notified, and they process the results. Once complete, they forward them to students and other internal stakeholders.

With assessments hosted in a digital system that can be accessed by anyone with a computer and internet connection, marking online tests is not only much faster, but much cheaper. There’s no need to organise and ship thousands of test papers or pay the eye-watering costs of doing so. Digital tests do, however, need to be hosted on a usable test platform that people can be easily trained on.

To expand on the process a little, these are some of the key features that speed up the marking process for digital assessments:

• Automated scoring: questions with objective answers (e.g. multiple choice, true/false) are instantly scored.
• Human review: For essays, short answers, or complex responses, human markers log into the system to review and score.
• Digital annotations: Comments and scores are recorded digitally, often with tools like highlights, stamps, or pre-saved comments.
• Automatic tallying: Systems calculate total scores and generate reports instantly.
• Instant results: Results can be shared with test-takers immediately, depending on settings.
• Customised workflows: Companies can customise their marking processes for both online and paper tests, however, online tests might provide options like assigning specific questions (or question ranges) to certain markers, escalating questions to senior markers, and more.

2. Objective question types

Objective question types are those with a definitive correct/incorrect answer. They include a variety of question types such as multiple choice, associate interaction, and gap match interaction.

As with the marking process itself, there are big differences between marking these types of questions on paper and in an online system.

Marking paper tests

When marking objective question types on paper, markers use answer keys or templates to tally correct answers. While straightforward, this process has a couple of pitfalls:

• It relies on human accuracy: Even experienced markers can miscount or miss a question through tiredness, stress, or other personal issues.
• It’s time-consuming: Reviewing and calculating results takes time. With hundreds of papers to mark, it takes a lot of time.

Marking online tests

For online tests, objective question types are automatically and instantly scored based on the correct answers in the system. This saves the company a huge amount of time in manual marking.

These are some other key benefits of marking objective question types for online tests:

• Instant results: The system provides scores immediately. If a test only has objective question types, students can receive their results immediately after completing it (if that’s what the company wants to do).
• Higher accuracy: Automation eliminates human error. Provided the answers are correctly set in the system, there will never be mistakes.
• Scalability: Because auto-marking is so much faster for objective question types, the company or institution can handle larger numbers of test-takers without worrying about resourcing.
• Reporting: With test results stored in the system, it can produce valuable reports on learner performance, trends, and other information to support data-driven decision-making.

3. Subjective question types

Subjective question types don’t have a definitive incorrect/answer and require more complex marking criteria to assess. They include essays, short answers, case studies, and many more.

These are the key differences between marking subjective question types for online and paper tests.

Marking paper tests

When scoring subjective question types on paper tests, markers must write comments, corrections, and scores manually. It’s a hands-on approach, which some markers like, but comes with a few challenges:

• Legibility: Deciphering markers’ handwriting can sometimes feel like trying to crack the Da Vinci Code. In some cases, companies might need to go back to markers to clarify what they’ve written.
• Fatigue: Reading and writing for hours can cause markers to slow down and make more errors.

Marking online tests

Subjective question types still take time and experience to mark, but online exam platforms make the process more efficient. This happens in the following ways:

• Quality controls: Seed scripts (pre-marked responses by experienced senior markers) can be dropped into a marker’s queue as a quality check. This ensures that markers apply the marking standard correctly and consistently throughout live marking. The system identifies markers who are not adhering to the standard, prompting them to complete further training to improve their scoring.
• Automated data analysis: Systems can instantly highlight patterns in data, like common errors or trends. This can speed up marking dramatically.
• Marker training: A digital standardisation system trains and calibrates markers by providing sample responses with pre-assigned scores. This guides them through the scoring criteria and monitors their accuracy and consistency. It also provides them with real-time feedback, which is rocket fuel for learning.
• Annotations: Pre-saved comments can be quickly typed and saved. There’s no scrawled handwriting for reviewers to decipher.
• Rubrics: Digital rubrics allow standardised scoring criteria to be applied, making assessments fairer.

4. Marking online vs paper tests: A side-by-side comparison

5. Summary: Which tests are better to mark?

It’s clear that marking online tests is far more efficient and cost-effective than marking paper tests. That doesn’t, however, make online tests the automatic choice.

Paper tests can be ideal for smaller companies or institutions, or in situations where digital tools aren’t available. They offer familiarity and simplicity but are also plagued by longer turnaround times, higher costs, and greater potential for errors.

Online tests shine in terms of efficiency, scalability, and accuracy. Objective question types are scored instantly, while subjective question types are accompanied by tools that make scoring faster and more consistent for markers.

In essence, if you deliver a small number of assessments each year, the simplicity of paper tests may be more efficient and cost-effective for you – marking or otherwise. But as soon as you start scaling up, online tests and their marking processes become so much more efficient, and you can grow your company or institution more freely without worrying about the limitations of marking thousands of paper tests every year.