Bubble Batch

Support

Print & grade bubble sheets

Need a hand?

Answers to common questions are below. If yours isn’t, email k.fitzgerald310@gmail.com with your Mac model and macOS version.

Getting started

How do I make a test?

Click New Test, give it a title, and set the number of questions, the choices, the student-ID digits and the paper size. Type the key in order (like ABDCA BBCAD) and click Fill Key, or click each answer. Option-click a letter to accept a second answer, and right-click a question to change its points or drop it.

How should I print the sheets?

Print at 100% on plain paper, or print one sheet and photocopy it. Keep all four black corner squares and the code on the page, since they tell Bubble Batch which test, version and page it’s reading.

Can each sheet have a student’s name on it?

Yes. In the Test step, choose Import Roster CSV… with a CSV that has the students’ IDs and names (Bubble Batch finds the columns by their headers). Then check One for each student on the roster in the Print step, and each sheet is printed with the name and the ID bubbles already filled in.

How do I scan the sheets?

Scan the whole stack to one PDF at the copier, at 200 to 300 dpi, in black and white or gray. Pages can be in any order and even upside down. For two-page tests, scan each student’s pages one after the other.

I don’t have a scanner.

Choose File › Import from iPhone › Scan Documents, scan the sheets with your iPhone and tap Save. They’re graded the same way. You can also drop photos of the sheets on the Grade step.

Grading and review

Why are some answers waiting in Review?

Bubble Batch never guesses. Blank answers, light marks, two marks on a question, poor erasures, check marks, unclear or unknown student IDs and missing second pages wait for you in Review, each shown beside its scanned bubbles. Press a letter to settle one, Delete for blank, or Return for the darkest mark.

A page says “No Bubble Batch code found.”

Bubble Batch couldn’t find the code on that page, often because it’s a blank page or the code was cut off or smudged. Leave the page out, or, if it’s one of your sheets, choose Grade as Version and the version it was printed as, and it’s graded from the scan.

Can it read other answer forms?

No. Bubble Batch reads only the sheets it prints, so it knows exactly where every bubble is.

Why can’t I change the number of questions any more?

Once sheets have been graded, the sheet’s layout is fixed so the scans still match it. Duplicate the test to make a new one with a different layout.

How do versions work?

Versions B to D (Pro) print the same questions in a shuffled order, and the choices too if you like. Each version prints its letter in the code, and every answer is counted under version A’s question numbers, so the results and the item analysis cover every version together. Save Answer Keys PDF… lists each version’s order and key.

Bubble Batch Pro

What does Pro add?

Unlimited tests and sheets (free keeps one test and grades up to 40 sheets on it), versions B to D, the item analysis on screen and as a PDF, and the gradebook CSV. It’s a one-time purchase that works with Family Sharing, with no subscription.

Purchases

How do I get a refund?

Apple handles App Store refunds. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Do I have to pay again on another Mac?

No. Sign in to the App Store with the same Apple Account on your other Mac and download it from your purchases.