Here's a puzzle for you

[mudskipper]

OK. Thank you. Again this is where to me it seems obvious. Not being a tit, just saying. If the paper is scanned, and automarked, and the marks loaded into the database against the candidate record, then to me it's obvious the form is marked in such a way that the computer can recognise and hence update the appropriate record.

As for won't vs don't, seems a tad picky. You are right of course in the letter of the law, but you are the first person to mention this several hours after the "answer" was delivered so if it was that big a deal I would have expected it to come out sooner.

Well it's a while since I took an exam, but by scanned I was imagining OCR type thing. The idea of having papers pre-printed as individually allocated to students sounds expensive as well as being an administrative nightmare for the exam invigilators. Even when you said they were barcoded, I assumed that the student stuck their barcode to the paper.

[suityou01]

Well it's a while since I took an exam, but by scanned I was imagining OCR type thing. The idea of having papers pre-printed as individually allocated to students sounds expensive as well as being an administrative nightmare for the exam invigilators. Even when you said they were barcoded, I assumed that the student stuck their barcode to the paper.

OMR is the term. Optical mark recognition. Multiguess lozengy type things.

Let's take the scenario where the forms are identical. So stock item. Teacher hands them out and they fill out their details in scrawl. Then stick a barcode to the paper as you suggest. This is still no different from scanning them, automarking them and loading the marks into the database.

The point being, the computer has to be able to read the scan and decide which candidate it is for. It could OCR the scrawl and do a name and DOB match for all it matters. It doesn't matter. The point is the document is scanned, the computer marks is and loads to the marks into the database. This information was provided. It was the same information I was provided.

And what's wrong with asking some questions anyway? I had to. I withheld nothing. All the constraints were the same as the ones I had.

I am still yet to see how I swerved anyone away from my answer, or what information came out later that suddenly unlocked it.

[mudskipper]

OMR is the term. Optical mark recognition. Multiguess lozengy type things.

Let's take the scenario where the forms are identical. So stock item. Teacher hands them out and they fill out their details in scrawl. Then stick a barcode to the paper as you suggest. This is still no different from scanning them, automarking them and loading the marks into the database.

The point being, the computer has to be able to read the scan and decide which candidate it is for. It could OCR the scrawl and do a name and DOB match for all it matters. It doesn't matter. The point is the document is scanned, the computer marks is and loads to the marks into the database. This information was provided. It was the same information I was provided.

And what's wrong with asking some questions anyway? I had to. I withheld nothing. All the constraints were the same as the ones I had.

I am still yet to see how I swerved anyone away from my answer, or what information came out later that suddenly unlocked it.

Ah, but there is a difference. The sending off of absent student's answer sheets then requires someone else to stick their barcodes to the paper.

Honestly I have never heard of individualised answer sheets and wouldn't have imagined such a thing was practical. I would have expected the suggestion of printing individualised answer sheets to be met with derision. I now know different. What exam is this?

[vetran]

I can't be arsed reading 16 of pages posts.

What was the answer?

you aren't clever enough to understand.

Maybe SAS has taken over Suity's body?

[suityou01]

Ah, but there is a difference. The sending off of absent student's answer sheets then requires someone else to stick their barcodes to the paper.

Honestly I have never heard of individualised answer sheets and wouldn't have imagined such a thing was practical. I would have expected the suggestion of printing individualised answer sheets to be met with derision. I now know different. What exam is this?

Good point about the absent candidates barcode. <doffs cap>

The sheets are printed by the schools. Saves on transport costs. Then scanned back.

Can't really share the exam type I'm afraid, sorry.

I can see that if it wasn't made clear at the start the the sheets were already decipherable by the computer to begin with then this would have made it harder to solve. One could of course asked questions around how the forms are produced. I added no constraint that said no one was allowed to ask questions.

[suityou01]

you aren't clever enough to understand.

Maybe SAS has taken over Suity's body?

I am a little SASish today aren't I.

[doodab]

OK. Thank you. Again this is where to me it seems obvious. Not being a tit, just saying. If the paper is scanned, and automarked, and the marks loaded into the database against the candidate record, then to me it's obvious the form is marked in such a way that the computer can recognise and hence update the appropriate record.

Yes, but there are various ways of marking the forms. It would, for example, probably be cheaper to print identical papers and have candidates fill in their candidate number or name, or attach a sticker or similar identifying mark. If this were the case then scanning the papers of absentees would not provide information about which specific candidates were absent, and your solution wouldn't work. Hence the information you didn't originally supply about each paper having a unique barcode suddenly becomes very significant.

[EternalOptimist]

you presented a problem then, rather than a puzzle

if there was a bit missing from my jigsaw puzzle I would storm into Hamleys and damn well demand my money back. or some other form of redress. perhaps an apology

[vetran]

The sheets are printed by the schools. Saves on transport costs. Then scanned back.

Sorry these are the same schools that can't tie their shoes and you want them to print on different colours?

Yes you are Suity, we want the old cuddly suity back!

[doodab]

I added no constraint that said no one was allowed to ask questions.

You did however meet questions by stating that all relevant information had been provided when this wasn't actually the case.