The Evaluation of Instruction Program & Test Scoring Service

Location: 181 Powell Library

Email: eip@teaching.ucla.edu

Phone #: (310) 825-6939

Our office is open*:

Mon – Friday 9AM- 5PM

(We are closed between 12PM and 1PM for our lunch hour)

*Please contact us for picking up forms or scheduling scoring appointments.  With advance notice, we are also willing to deliver test forms to you.

Online Form: Test Scoring Appointment Request


About Our Service

EIP provides a free test scoring service that is available to all UCLA Instructors who administer multiple-choice exams. The overall goal of the test scoring service is to provide an efficient and accurate means of grading multiple-choice exams that will effectively generate reports to suit the instructor’s needs. Such reports should be used by instructors to improve the testing process itself.

Please click on the topics below to learn how to use our service:

General Policies

  • Please schedule scoring appointments at least two business days in advance. If an appointment is unable to be kept, we will reschedule as soon as our schedule permits.  Please call us in advance to cancel.
  • If we have made a mistake in scoring the exam, we will re-score it as soon as possible.
  • If an exam needs to be re-scored because a question needs to have a different answer or be removed, then we will reschedule a new appointment slot as soon as our schedule permits.
  • We will not be held responsible for items that are left overnight, left outside our office or are lost in the campus mail.  This is a score-while-you-wait service.  Please use our designated waiting room while we process your exam, which usually takes 15-20 minutes.  If for some reason an instructor or assistant is unable to stay for the duration of the test scoring, we will return the sheets and reschedule the appointment to a more suitable time.

Scoring Parameters

Our current software does not allow for multiple correct answers.  On an answer key a question can have:

  • One correct answer bubbled in = one correct answer scored
  • More than one answer bubbled in = ALL responses counted as correct (giving the point to all students who responded)
  • No answer bubbled in = the question is not counted

Our software also has the capacity to score:

  • Sub-tests (providing results for individual sections of the exam)
  • Weighted questions

We do not have the capability to merge test versions at this time.  Our scanners are only able to read our specialized forms; no other answer sheets or photocopies may be used.

Answer Sheets

Our specialized Scantron forms are provided free with the use of our service. These forms are full page, 200 questions maximum, and burgundy print.  Using these forms will enable you to receive detailed reports in PDF and Excel formats.

Alternatively, we have a Scantron 882 machine that can read the forms available in the UCLA Store.  These 882 forms are half-sheet, 100 questions maximum, and printed in green.  By using those forms, you will only be able to receive basic results.

Please contact us to obtain our specialized Scantron forms prior to your exam. With advance notice, we are also willing to deliver test forms to you.

Making Appointments

You may schedule scoring appointments one of the following ways:

When scheduling an appointment, please be prepared to provide the following information about the exam:

  • Instructor name
  • Department
  • Name of person bringing in the exams and their contact phone number
  • Number of Exams
  • Number of Test Versions
  • Number of Students
PLEASE NOTE:
  • Please schedule scoring appointments at least two business days in advance.
  • Always try to schedule your final exam scoring appointments early.  Our busiest time is always finals week, and often we have such a great demand for our service that appointments overflow into the following week.

When Giving Your Exam

  • All information must be filled out in No. 2 pencil. Fields/bubbled answers completed in pen will not be read by our scanners.
  • Name and ID # bubbles must start at the left edge of the field box and are required fields.
  • The ID # field is required on student response sheets; however, this number does not have to be a UID, it can be assigned by the instructor.
  • Blanks will be entered for students who do not provide a name or number.  It is to instructors’ benefit to utilize these fields.  If you do not require your students to fill out names and ID #’s, we will turn off the program’s ability to check for blank fields and only what students have bubbled will be recorded.

Preparing for Your Appointment

  • When the exam is finished, please sort Scantrons by each version, with all sheets facing the same direction.
  • Use a Scantron form to create an answer key for each version of your exam prior to scoring.  You will need to bring answer keys with you to the scoring appointment.
  • There is no need to alphabetize the sheets.  The scoring software will sort names by alphabetical order for reports.
  • If you are able, please bubble in student names and ID #s if they have been left blank.  This will help you have better results for your reports.

When You Arrive

  • Please arrive at your scheduled time.
  • Please bubble all zeros for the “Identification #” field on each answer key.
  • All information must be filled out in No. 2 pencil. Fields/bubbled answers completed in pen will not be read by our scanners.  You may either go over the student’s responses with a pencil or score it separately on your own.
  • No tests are to be left unattended. Please be prepared to wait 15 – 20 minutes for processing simple exams, or longer for more complicated situations.
  • You may download and fill out the TSS Check-in Details Form in advance, or complete it in person when you arrive.
  • You may fill in fields and use the check boxes and save it for repeated use.  Please print this and bring to your appointment, or fill it out in person.

Report Options

We currently offer a standard set of reports which are delivered via email following an appointment to the individuals listed on the TSS Check-In Details form. Each version of the exam will have its own set of reports. The reports included are:

  • Summary Page
  • Score Frequency
  • Roster of Results
  • Test Item Analysis
  • Student Detail
  • Excel Spreadsheet of Results

Using the Results for Gradebook

It is possible to use the data files we provide to assist in entering exam scores in Gradebook.  For more information on using our data files with Gradebook, please visit our webpage here or click the link in the menu above right.

Re-Scoring an Exam

Sometimes a situation arises where you may want to have all or part of your exam re-scored.  Depending on the corrections/changes, it’s not always necessary to come into the office for a re-scoring.  The following is usually (but not always) applicable:

No need to come in when:
  • Answers on the key sheet need to be changed
  • Version Answer Keys were mixed up – this one can be a little complicated to do, but it’s usually fixable on our end
In these cases, send us an email with the necessary details, and we can make adjustments within the scoring program.

Come in when:
  • Student sheets were put in the wrong version/pile (possibly can be fixed remotely on our end)
  • Student sheets were missing at the time of the scoring

In these cases, you may make an appointment with us to bring in the affected or missing sheets.  In extreme cases, you may need to bring the entire the exam back.  For those, please bring back all test sheets including the answer keys with any necessary corrections made.

About Our Test Scoring Software

Our service uses a program named Scan ‘n’ Score developed by Jeff Nelsen of LHF Consulting.  If you would like to find out more about the program or how your school could use it, please contact:

Jeff Nelsen
LHF Consulting
E:  jeff.nelsen@lhfconsulting.org
P: 949-939-4687


The Evaluation of Instruction Program (EIP) also provides students an opportunity to give feedback on their instructors and courses at UCLA.