Where to buy scantrons if you’re a college student? If you’re a college student–or any age student–you may need to buy Scantrons.

The bubble, fill-in form testing sheets are needed for exams throughout your time in college.  

Is there a way to buy Scantrons and save (or even make) money at the same time?

Where to Buy Scantrons

Some colleges provide Scantrons for students. However, many colleges today insist students buy their own Scantrons. Budget cuts and rising costs are encouraging colleges and universities to push the cost of Scantrons off on students.

And in times when you can’t “do” traditional in-class schooling, you might need scantrons as well.

Many college students look for jobs just to make ends meet. So when schools make you buy Scantrons, it’s only another dent in the bank account. But where is the best place to buy Scantrons?

There’s a lot of debate about whether college students should be forced to purchase their own Scantron forms, or whether college tuition costs should include Scantron forms.

Unfortunately, colleges continue to find the need to cut costs to stay within their budgets. And that might mean you end up having to buy your own Scantron forms.

You can buy Scantrons a couple of different places; however, it’s important to be aware of one thing.

Scantron is a brand name that refers to a popular test sheet used in schools. In contrast, there are knock-off test sheets that are not the Scantron brand.

Scantrons Or Knock-Off Brands?

As we talk about Scantrons in this article, we’ll also be clear about sources and whether they sell Scantrons or other brands. The brand is important depending on what type of scoring machine your school uses.

Some schools’ scoring machines can only accept the Scantron brand bubble sheets. Other schools accept varying types of bubble sheets.

You’ll want to check with your school to see which types of sheets they accept. You’ll also want to double check exactly which form numbers your school wants you touse.

If you find that your school accepts bubble sheet brands that are non-Scantron brands, you could save some serious money.

1. Scantron Website

One of the best places to buy Scantrons is the Scantron store website.  Not only does this site sell the Scantron testing machines, but it also sells forms as well.

They sell dozens of tests, surveys and ballot forms. For this reason, you’ll need to know the test number of the form your school wants you to purchase.

To find forms, go to the search button and enter “ordering forms.” Click on “selecting a form” to locate the kind you need, then click on “ordering forms” to place your order.

Note that the Scantron website only sells the forms in bulk. By “in bulk” I mean they often sell them in packages of 500. To clarify, you won’t need 500 scantrons.

So if you choose to buy the Scantrons via the Scantron website, you may want to consider making some of your money back.

How? Just sell them to friends and classmates at a lower price than they can find elsewhere.

Starting a side hustle business selling Scantron forms while you’re in college could be a great way for you to fund some of your college expenses.

If you’re not interested in selling the extras that you’d have to buy while buying directly from Scantron, some of the other ideas mentioned here might be an option too.

2. Amazon.com

Amazon.com has generic (compatible) Scantron sheets. The Amazon listings say these sheets are completely compatible with Scantron testing machines.

If this is true, you might want to check out this option. As of this writing, the 882-E compatible forms were selling for 50 for roughly six dollars.

This is a much better deal than the prices you’ll find at places other than the Scantron website.

You might find you need to have 50 throughout your college days, or you could sell the extras to classmates for a bit of a profit.

Comments in the question and answer section state that students haven’t had any compatibility issues while using these generic test sheets.

However, know that you do take a bit of a risk when buying a generic Scantron sheet.

As you probably know from buying college student-friendly groceries, some generic items are great; others, not so much.

3. Schoolcraftbooks.com

Schoolcraft College Bookstore is an online bookstore that sells Scantrons.

You can get Scantrons here via their online store in much smaller quantities than the bulk purchases you need to make to get Scantrons elsewhere.

For example, you can get many of the forms in a 6-pack for under $2.

When you buy directly from the Scantron store and elsewhere, you often have to purchase packs of 500 tests.

4. Your College or University Bookstore

School book stores typically sell all of the types of Scantrons you’ll need for your class tests.  

Your school book store knows which bubble test brands are allowed at your school, so you shouldn’t have to worry about buying forms that won’t work.

And unlike the Scantron website, you can typically buy Scantrons in smaller quantities at college bookstores.

However, you might find that college bookstores are a more expensive place to buy smaller quantities of Scantrons.

Check your college bookstore during open hours to find out what they sell and how much they charge.

5. Precision Data Products

Precision Data Products is an online store that sells forms for many types of testing, including Scantron compatible forms.

For example, they sell 882-E compatible forms for $29.95 for a pack of 500.

As mentioned earlier, you likely won’t need 500 forms.

For this reason, if you choose to buy in bulk, take the extras and make yourself some money. Again, this could be one of many great ideas to make money this year.

In addition, this company offers free shipping on all orders.

If you’re planning on buying Scantron compatible forms and selling in bulk, this company might have the best deal since they don’t charge for shipping.

6. Titan Shops

Titan Shops is an online bookstore that partners with California State University, Fullerton.

They primarily sell Cal State Fullerton apparel and art, but they also sell name brand (not generic compatible) Scantron forms.

They sell them in smaller quantities (ten and under in many cases), and you can even purchase some Scantron forms singularly.

The downside of buying online through a college bookstore is that you’ll likely pay shipping fees.

This will drive up your overall cost of the Scantrons you purchase.

But if you can’t get Scantrons from your school, and you don’t want to buy in bulk, this could be a good option for you.

7. Many College Bookstores With Online Sites

During our research for this article, we found that many universities with online bookstores sell Scantrons to the public.

You can search online stores for colleges near you, or simply do an internet search for “where to buy Scantrons.”

As far as cost goes, your best bet per test page will likely be Amazon if you buy the compatible forms they offer.

However, if you’re just looking to buy a few, online college bookstores will help you spend less overall.

Just be sure when you’re checking college websites that you know what you’re getting.

You need to know whether what they’re selling are actually name brand Scantron forms, a generic compatible or a plain generic form.

8. Buy Them From Fellow Students

Another way to get scantrons is simply to buy them from fellow students.

If you’re not interested in selling scantrons to make a profit, you can bet other students are. Find someone who’s selling them and buy from them.

Where You Can’t Buy Scantrons

Unfortunately, most big box stores and office stores don’t sell Scantrons or compatible Scantron forms.

You likely won’t be able to find Scantrons at stores such as:

  • Target
  • Walmart
  • Office Max
  • Office Depot
  • Staples

These types of stores typically don’t carry them. However, when visiting their websites, you may find ads for online stores that do sell Scantrons.

Or, you may find that some of these stores do sell Scantrons or generic versions of Scantrons via their websites, but not in stores.

Again, just be sure you’re reading the fine print so you can ensure you’re getting the type of bubble sheets you need to have for your school’s testing machines.

Summary

There are many places you can buy Scantrons. The best sources are online – especially if you don’t attend college currently and don’t have immediate access to a campus bookstore.

And if you buy the Scantrons in bulk, you could potentially make some extra cash by selling them to fellow students.

College costs may be on the rise, and it’s tough to pay for college and not graduate burdened with student loans.

Just be sure you fully understand whether the place you’re shopping at is selling name brand Scantron forms or a generic form.

If you end up buying and using a generic form that isn’t compatible with your school’s testing machines, you could end up doing all of your tests over again.

Adding costs for items like Scantrons – no matter how cheap they are – is just one more monetary burden.

Work to find Scantrons at a deal and it will help you save money. Every penny adds up.

Does your college or university make you buy your own Scantrons? If so, where do you get them? Feel free to share in the comments section on our Facebook page.