History Main / ScantronPicture

* Subverted in ''Series/{{Community}}''. Britta has the group do psychology tests. When going over them, she's shocked that every single member of the group drew a penis on the Scantron sheets. The rest of the groups asks to see them and it turns out Britta was just [[FreudianSlip seeing penises where there weren't any]].

Optical answers sheets, known as ''Scantrons'' after the company which manufactures them, are a form used to record answers on multiple choice tests. The test-taker marks their answer on the sheet by filling in a small bubble. Afterwards, the answer sheet is fed through a scanner which detects the filled bubbles and automatically scores the test. Alternately, the system may also tabulate survey answers.

When a character is less than scholarly, or doesn't know the answer to any of the questions, they may simply color all the dots on the page so that it resembles a picture when viewed. When that happens, it is this trope.

->'''Britta''': Okay, very mature. Which one of you filled in a butt?\\
'''Troy''': They're boobs, not a butt. And I don't know.

!Examples

[[folder:Film]]
* The young Speed does this in the ''Film/SpeedRacer'' movie, coloring the bubbles to read GO REX GO.
* In ''Who's the Man,'' Ed Lover and Dr Dre attempt to deliberately fail the police exam by filling out the bubbles to spell out "abacadaba". [[TheUnreveal It's never made clear]] whether [[SpringtimeForHitler they actually pass the test]] or if someone pulls strings behind-the-scenes to "adjust" their score.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The plot of the "Cosmo Con" episode of ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents'' is kicked off with one of these, with Crocker assuming that Timmy used magic to cheat (not being aware that it's against 'Da Rules' to use magic to cheat at tests or contests) because he actually got an A+. In reality, Timmy just filled the dots into the shape of a smiley face. The other students take this as a SignOfTheApocalypse.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'', Peppermint Patty makes a smiley face on her scantron early on in the film. Unlike most examples, [[spoiler:this serves as a ChekhovsGun when Charlie Brown gets an award for being the first kid to score a 100% on the standardized test. When he looks at the winning scantron, he sees a smiley face. Turns out, he and Peppermint Patty [[FileMixUp signed each other's tests by mistake]].]]

[[folder: Social Media]]
* One [[Website/{{Twitter}} tweet]] from UsefulNotes/McDonalds promoting [=McCafe=] shows [[https://twitter.com/McDonalds/status/930503153115648003/ a video]] of Scantron dots rearranging themselves to read "Need Coffee".
[[/folder]]

Optical answers sheets, known as Scantrons after the company which manufactures them, are a form used to record answers on multiple choice tests. The test-taker marks their answer on the sheet by filling in a small bubble. Afterwards, the answer sheet is fed through a scanner which detects the filled bubbles and automatically scores the test. Alternately, the system may also tabulate survey answers.

[[folder: Comic Strips ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls:'' Him once gives the girls such a test in a challenge, and although Blossom and Buttercup take the test seriously, they fail as a result. Bubbles passes, and it turns out she filled in the bubbles in the shape of a flower.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* In ''Series/ParkerLewisCantLose'', Larry Kubiac is once seen writing [[CatchPhrase "EAT NOW!"]] on his test.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS20E11HowTheTestWasWon How the Test Was Won]]:" Bart fills in the bubbles to write "slurp my snot" on a practice test for the upcoming Vice President's Assessment Test.

* The plot of the "Cosmo Con" episode of ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents'' is kicked off with one of these, with Crocker assuming that Timmy used magic to cheat (not being aware that it's against 'Da Rules' to use magic to cheat at tests or contests) because he actually got an A+. In reality, Timmy just colored the dots in the shape of a smiley face. The other students take this as a SignOfTheApocalypse.

->'''Britta''': ''Okay, very mature. Which one of you filled in a butt?''
->'''Troy''': ''[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial They're boobs, not a butt.]] [[ImmediateSelfContradiction And I don't know.]]''
-->--''{{Series/Community}}''

[[AC:ComicStrips]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:Real Life]]

->'''Troy''': ''[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial They're boobs, not a butt.]] [[BlatantLies And I don't know.]]''
-->''{{Series/Community}}''

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'', Peppermint Patty makes a smiley face on her scantron early on in the film. Unlike most examples, [[spoiler:this serves as a ChekhovsGun when Charlie Brown gets an award for being the first kid to score a 100% on the standardized test. When he looks at the winning scantron, he sees a smiley face. Turns out, he and Peppermint Patty signed each other's tests by mistake.]]

->'''Britta''': Okay, very mature. Which one of you filled in a butt?
->'''Troy''': [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial They're boobs, not a butt.]] [[BlatantLies And I don't know.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'', Peppermint Patty makes a smiley face on her scantron early on in the film. Unlike most examples, [[spoiler:this serves as a CheckovsGun when Charlie Brown gets an award for being the first kid to score a 100% on the standardized test. When he looks at the winning scantron, he sees a smiley face. Turns out, he and Peppermint Patty signed each other's tests by mistake.]]

When a character is less than scholarly, or doesn't know the answer to any of the questions, they may simply color all the dots on the page so that it resembles a picture when viewed.

* [[BrilliantButLazy Caulfield]] does this as a RunningGag in ''ComicStrip/{{Frazz}}''. He uses the dots to write out music notes, and later recreates the Mona Lisa.

* In ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', Randy draws a sailboat with dots representing him and a bunch of hot chicks during the GED exam.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/ActionLeagueNow'' has The Flesh getting kicked out of the league because he failed a first grade equivalency test after coloring the dots in the shape of a cat. The episode ends with him retaking the test and passing, because he colored the dots in the shape of a duck instead.

* The plot of a ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents'' episode is kicked off with one of these, with Crocker assuming that Timmy used magic to cheat (not being aware that it's against 'Da Rules' to use magic to cheat at tests or contests) because unlike the other students, he actually passed the test. In reality, Timmy just colored the dots in the shape of a smiley face.

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