What is a “key file” and “data file” in the context of ?
A key file is a text file that contains the answer key for a test submitted to . Each answer, given as a number value, is separated by a comma. For example, if the answers for a particular test are: A, C, B, A, D, D, A, C, B, A, then the answer key file will contain the corresponding values: 1,3,2,1,4,4,1,3,2,1. A data file is an electronic file that contains the answers of examinees for a particular test. Typically, a data file is produced by optical scanners (e.g., Optical Mark Recognition OMR, Optical Character Recognition OCR, Scantron machines, etc.) that process “bubble sheets” onto which examinees have recorded their answers. Most scanner operators have no problem accommodating the data file needs of . requires a simple text-based data format (i.e., comma-separated ASCII). Each examinee should be entered on a separate row, as follows: Examinee identification in the first field, followed by a comma.
