Mark scanned, typed and fillable PDF exams
evaleasy grades PDF exams whether they're scanned papers, typed PDFs or fillable forms. Every page is looked at as a picture, and any text layer or filled form field is given to the reader as well, so typed answers come straight from the file rather than from reading a picture of it while pen marks still come from the picture. Each student's paper is its own PDF, within limits of 30 pages per paper and 20 MB per file.
Updated
How does evaleasy grade each kind of PDF?
evaleasy looks at the page picture for every kind of PDF, and adds whatever exact text the file holds.
| Kind of PDF | What the reader gets | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Scanned paper | Page pictures | Everything comes from the picture, print included |
| Typed PDF | Page pictures and the text layer | Typed words come from the file's own text |
| Fillable form | Page pictures and filled field values | A field holding "Paris" is read as "Paris". Boxes count only when ticked |
| Typed PDF with pen marks | Page pictures and the text layer | Print comes from the text, circles and ticks from the picture |
What does the text layer do?
The text layer gives the reader the exact words in the PDF, and the reader is told to trust it over the picture for printed and typed words. It can't show pen marks, circles, ticks, highlights or handwriting, so the reader is told to check the picture for those every time. That's why a typed PDF is still read twice and still costs 1 credit per page.
Filled form fields are taken from the file too, because they don't always survive in a picture of the page. A PDF with fewer than 20 characters of text is treated as having none. If your scanner adds its own text layer, it's handled like any other, so if printed words look wrong under "What we read", try a scan without it.
How do I mark a whole class's PDFs?
Upload one PDF per student under Many papers, because each file is one student's paper and evaleasy doesn't split files. A class scanned into one PDF has to be split first, with a PDF tool that can extract page ranges, or you can scan each student separately. Left as one file, a class PDF would be marked as one student's paper, and one over 30 pages is refused.
- Choose Many papers and add one PDF per student
- Name each file after the student, because a paper with no readable name is named after its file
- Add the question paper and answer key once, and they apply to every paper
- Each student's file is sent on its own, so a failed upload costs one paper and you can try those again
What are the page and file size limits?
A paper can have 30 pages, and an uploaded file can be 20 MB. If a scan is too big, lower its resolution. Pages are rendered at up to 200 DPI, capped at 2,000 pixels on the long edge, so scanning much finer makes a bigger file without giving the reader more to see.
- 30 pages per paper: a longer one is refused before any credit is charged
- 20 MB per uploaded file: this applies to each student's file
- 1,000 papers per batch
- 40 pages in total for answer keys and question papers, which aren't charged
- Password-protected PDFs are refused, so upload an unprotected copy
Common questions
- Does a typed PDF cost less than a scanned one?
- No. evaleasy charges 1 credit for every PDF page, scanned or typed. Only pasted text, Word files and text files are counted by length, at one page per 3,000 characters.
- What if students have different numbers of pages?
- That's fine. Each file is one student's paper, so page counts can differ from student to student, and each paper is charged for its own pages.
- If I split a class scan myself, how do I check the pages landed right?
- Count first: 30 students at 4 pages each should be 120 pages, and one missing page moves every later student's work. Each paper is named from the name written on it, or else from its file, so open the first and last few reports and check that the name and answers belong together.
- Can I upload the question paper and answer key as their own PDFs?
- Yes, as separate uploads, so evaleasy knows which is which. The question paper tells it which questions to expect and helps when students' sheets show only answers. It never supplies correct answers: those come from your key, or are worked out and labelled if you have none. Neither file is charged, up to 40 pages in total.
- Can the API split a class PDF?
- No. Neither the evaleasy API nor the dashboard splits a file. Each API request is one student's paper, so split the PDF first and send each student's pages on their own.
Your next stack of papers doesn't have to be your problem.
Signing up is free. Marking uses credits, at 1 credit per page.