PlusyScan a worksheet into a practice list
Take a photo of the homework sheet. Plusy reads the questions, works out every answer itself and turns them into a list your child can play.
How do I scan a worksheet?
To scan a worksheet in Plusy, open the My lists tab, tap New list and choose the Scan a worksheet tab, then take or choose a photo of the sheet. Plusy reads the math questions from the photo and shows them as chips for you to check before your child plays. Home also has a Scan a worksheet shortcut.
Open the scanner
Go to My lists, tap New list, then the Scan a worksheet tab.
Get the photo in
Tap Take a photo to use the camera, or Choose a photo to pick one you already have. On a computer there is also Webcam, then Take the photo.
Check what was read
After a moment of Reading the questions, they appear as chips under Your questions. Anything Plusy left out is listed under Skipped, each with its reason.
Fix anything that is wrong
Remove a chip that was misread, then type the question as it should be in the box and press Enter.
Name it and play
Type a name if you like (with none, the list is named after today's date). Start saves the list and begins the first round. Save for later keeps it in My lists.
Start needs at least two questions. Save for later needs one.
How do I get a clean photo?
A clear, bright photo of a flat sheet reads best. If Plusy cannot read the photo it says so and asks for a clearer, brighter one, and that attempt is not counted against your scans.
- Lay the paper flat, in good light, with no shadow across it.
- Fill the frame with the questions and hold the phone straight above the sheet.
- One sheet per photo, with the whole set of questions in view.
- A list holds up to 60 questions. If the sheet has more, the first 60 are kept.
Does it read handwritten sheets?
Yes. Plusy reads printed worksheets and handwritten ones, so a list a teacher wrote on the board and your child copied into a notebook can be scanned too. Always look over the chips before playing: a 1 read as a 7 takes a few seconds to fix now and saves a week of practicing the wrong question.
What kinds of questions does it read?
Plusy reads one-step questions with two whole numbers: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, with every number and every answer from 0 to 99,999. It also reads fraction questions: adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers, simplest form, equal fractions with a missing number, which is bigger, and a fraction bigger than 1 written as a mixed number or back. Anything else on the sheet is skipped and the reason is shown, so you can see what did not make it into the list.
| What is on the sheet | What Plusy says |
|---|---|
| A question with two steps, or a word problem | Not a one-step question |
| A decimal | Whole numbers only |
| Multiplying or dividing fractions, such as 2/3 x 3/4 | Multiplying and dividing fractions is not in Plusy yet |
| Fractions that need a shared bottom number above 12, such as 1/5 + 1/3 | The shared bottom number would be more than 12 |
| Mixed numbers where a whole has to be broken, such as 3 1/5 - 1 3/5 | Not yet: taking away that has to break a whole |
| A subtraction that goes below zero | The answer is below zero |
| The same question twice | Already in the list |
Answers written on the sheet are ignored, right or wrong. Plusy works out every answer itself. The full list of fraction questions a list can hold is in the Fractions road.
How many worksheets can I scan?
A free Plusy account can scan one worksheet a day. Once Plusy is unlocked, an account can scan up to 50 worksheets a month. Typing a list by hand has no limit at all, so there is always a way to get tonight's homework in.
At the limit Plusy says That's today's free scan. You can scan another tomorrow, or type the questions now. See Unlock Plusy for what the unlock adds.
Is the photo stored?
No. Plusy shrinks the photo on your device, sends it to be read once, and never saves it to its servers or database. Only the list of questions is kept, in your account. The reading is done by OpenAI, which receives the photo and nothing else: not your name, your email or your child's progress. More in Your child's privacy.
Questions
The sheet already has my child's answers on it. Does that matter?
No. Plusy ignores any answer written on the worksheet and works out every answer itself, so a filled-in sheet scans the same as a blank one.
Why will my iPhone photo not open?
iPhone photos are often saved in the HEIC format, which opens in Safari but not in other browsers. If Plusy says it could not open the picture, open Plusy in Safari or save the picture as a JPG first.
Can I add to a scanned list afterwards?
Yes. Open the list, tap Edit, and remove chips or type more questions, then Save changes. The four ways of making a list all fill the same row of questions, so you can mix scanning and typing in one list.
Plusy found no questions in my photo. What now?
Try again with a brighter, closer photo of a flat sheet. A scan that finds nothing is not counted, so you still have it. If the sheet is decimals or word problems, there is nothing for Plusy to read.