Assessments: digital or paper? The choice isn’t black-and-white

Over the past few years, digital assessment has become the norm. Tests are developed in an item bank, delivered in secure environments, and analysed automatically. That shift has greatly improved the quality and efficiency of assessment.

But real life in education is always more varied than a single system. Not every student is comfortable working behind a screen. Not every institution has enough devices. And sometimes paper is simply more practical—for example during technical outages or in buildings with limited infrastructure.

That’s why it’s important not to treat assessment as a strict choice between digital or paper, but as a continuum where quality and flexibility go hand in hand.

The format changes— the process stays the same

What many people don’t realise is that a paper-based assessment follows essentially the same development process as a digital one. Of course, digital delivery enables more possibilities—interactive item types, videos, or audio that you can’t easily translate to paper. Still, the preparation steps are identical.

Items are developed in the same item bank, with the same quality assurance, workflows, and scoring models. The way you assemble a test is the same too—including dynamic tests where questions or answer options can be shuffled to create multiple versions.

The only difference is the delivery format. Instead of scheduling an online sitting, you generate a paper version. You can even produce multiple versions of the same test, so each student receives a unique but equivalent set of questions.

Smart paper: personalisation and recognition

You can retain professionalism and precision on paper as well. A paper sitting starts with an answer sheet that is tailored exactly to the test content. It’s not a generic form, but a sheet that mirrors the test construction one-to-one.

If a test has 25 items, the answer sheet has exactly 25 response fields. If an item has three answer options, there are exactly three boxes on the sheet. Every part of the paper process aligns seamlessly with the digital design of the test.

The answer sheet can also be personalised, so the student’s name is pre-filled—no one needs to write it in by hand.

Afterwards, the answer sheets are scanned. From that moment on, the test behaves as if it had been taken digitally. Responses are recognised automatically, scores are calculated, and the system offers the same options as for an online sitting: digital review, the ability to adjust scoring keys, and access to analytics and statistics.

In this way, you get a hybrid setup where paper and digital don’t exclude each other—they complement each other.

Data as a common language

A key benefit of this approach is that you don’t lose the data. Results from paper sittings are processed in the same dataset as digital exams. Institutions can still run analyses, track trends, and keep improving the quality of their item bank.

So, the delivery format doesn’t change your ability to safeguard and develop assessment quality. In that sense, print & scan is not just a practical solution—it’s a way to guarantee continuity of data and quality assurance.

Where flexibility really makes the difference

Print & scan creates room in situations where a standard digital sitting isn’t feasible or desirable. For example, it can be used for students with medical or functional needs who benefit from a calm, paper-based setting where they can work at their own pace. For them, paper often provides more overview and fewer distractions than a screen.

In institutions without enough computers or digital infrastructure, print & scan can also help. Think of cases where there are more students than available workstations, or where there are multiple locations that aren’t all digitally equipped. In such cases, the logistics remain manageable without compromising on quality or assurance.

Print & scan is also a reliable fallback when technical issues or network outages occur. If a digital sitting unexpectedly can’t go ahead, the same test can still be administered safely and securely on paper. The results can then be processed digitally so the process doesn’t stall, and exam continuity is maintained.

Finally, print & scan can be a valuable tool during a gradual transition from paper to digital. In this phase, it’s common for certain item types to work better in one format than the other.

Some tasks—like drawing or making annotations—are simply easier on paper. Others—such as interactive or audiovisual tasks—shine in a digital environment.

By using both formats side by side for a time, institutions can analyse differences in ease of use, performance, and reliability. Those insights help determine, step by step, which item types and delivery modes best fit their educational practice. The result is a carefully grounded transition based on data, experience, and the perspectives of both students and teachers.

Assessment that adapts to reality

Assessment is never black-and-white. It’s not about choosing digital or paper, but about the reliability, accessibility, and quality of the process. When institutions have the freedom to choose what fits their context—without sacrificing quality or insight—you get assessment that’s future-proof.

And that, ultimately, is what matters: assessment that adapts to the reality of education—not the other way around.