Management Information System (MIS) Practice Exam

Which type of specialized scanner is used for scanning answer forms where responses are indicated by filling in circles?

1. Biometric scanner

2. Optical mark recognition

3. Optical character recognition

4. Magnetic ink character recognition

The correct answer is: Optical mark recognition

The specialized scanner used for scanning answer forms where responses are indicated by filling in circles is Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). This technology is specifically designed to detect marks made on printed forms, such as filled-in bubbles or checkboxes. OMR systems work by shining a light on the paper and analyzing the reflected light to determine if a mark is present in the designated areas, allowing for quick and accurate data collection. Optical Mark Recognition is particularly effective for applications like standardized testing or surveys where responses are typically recorded in a predefined format. The ability to efficiently process large volumes of information, usually in a multiple-choice scenario, makes OMR a valuable tool in educational assessment and data collection. Other options listed serve different purposes: Biometric scanners are used for identifying individuals based on biological characteristics; Optical Character Recognition (OCR) focuses on converting different types of documents, such as scanned paper documents or PDFs, into editable and searchable data by recognizing printed text; Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) is designed for reading magnetic ink characters, typically used in bank checks. Each of these technologies has its specific use case, but for the scenario of filling in circles on answer forms, Optical Mark Recognition is the most suitable choice.