The Problem with Akindi
Akindi was a real improvement on the Scantron model. Instructors could print bubble sheets on regular paper, scan them with any office scanner, and skip the proprietary hardware. For a multiple choice exam, that alone was a big step forward.
But the model has not moved on much since. Akindi is still a per-instructor or per-institution subscription. It still assumes every question is a bubble on a bubble sheet, so short answer, numeric response, and matching questions have nowhere to go. Randomization is limited to a small number of preset versions, which is not enough to stop copying in a lecture hall. And getting the graded results into Canvas or Blackboard often still needs a manual CSV export.
For an instructor grading a modern paper exam, that is a lot of ceiling.
What a Modern Alternative Should Do
A better tool for paper exam grading in 2026 should:
- Support more than multiple choice. Short answer and numeric response, not just bubbles.
- Generate unlimited randomized versions. Not 2, not 4, unlimited unique exams per class.
- Be free for individual instructors. No seat license, no institutional gatekeeping.
- Use any office scanner and regular printer paper. Just like Akindi, but without the paywall.
- Sync directly to your LMS. Canvas, Blackboard, D2L, and Moodle without a CSV round trip.
- Auto-grade a full class in minutes. Not one sheet at a time, the whole stack at once.
How Paper Exam Grader Works
Paper Exam Grader is a free tool built for university instructors who want to auto-grade paper exams without an Akindi subscription and without the multiple choice ceiling.
The workflow has three steps.
Upload your questions
Import questions from Word, PDF, Canvas QTI, Connect exports, or a photo of a printed exam. Set your randomization preferences: question order, answer order, and variable numerical values. Press generate to create a PDF with unlimited unique exam versions.
Print, administer, and scan
Print the exams on regular paper. Hand them out in class. Collect them when the exam is over. Scan the stack to a PDF using any office scanner and upload it.
Review results
Auto-grading completes in under 2 minutes for any class size. The platform flags ambiguous answers for your review. Results include item difficulty analysis, discrimination indices, and distractor effectiveness. Export grades directly to your LMS gradebook.
How It Compares to Akindi
| Feature | Akindi | Paper Exam Grader |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Per-instructor or institutional subscription | Free for individual instructors |
| Question types | Multiple choice bubble sheet only | Multiple choice + short answer with numeric auto-grading |
| Randomized versions | Small number of preset versions | Unlimited unique versions |
| Variable numeric values | Not supported | Each student gets different numbers in the same question |
| Hardware | Any office scanner | Any office scanner |
| Exam paper | Regular printer paper | Regular printer paper |
| Grading speed | Upload PDF, class graded in minutes | Upload PDF, class graded in under 2 minutes |
| LMS sync | CSV export in most setups | Direct sync to Canvas, Blackboard, D2L, Moodle |
| Item analysis | Basic | Item difficulty, discrimination, distractor effectiveness |
| FERPA compliant | Yes | Yes |
Who This Is For
Paper Exam Grader is built for university instructors who want to:
- Keep the parts of Akindi that work (regular paper, any scanner) without the subscription
- Grade short answer and numeric response questions, not just multiple choice
- Give every student a fully unique exam, including different numerical values
- Push grades straight into Canvas, Blackboard, D2L, or Moodle without a CSV round trip
There is no trial period, no feature limit, and no credit card required. If your department later wants to adopt it at scale, institutional plans are available.
Ready to Try It?
Get everything Akindi does, plus short answer grading, unlimited randomization, and direct LMS sync. Import your existing questions, print randomized versions, and auto-grade the stack.
Create your first exam for free or watch a quick demo to see the full workflow.
