Open book tests.

As a student, I always got excited when a teacher would announce an open book test...however, I soon learned that these tests were usually more difficult since they required more interaction with the theories of the subject, rather than specific knowledge. Most people think of open book tests and think that kids are getting spoiled, but there is a lot of evidence showing that content retention is much higher in students who study for open book tests than for students who prepare for traditional tests.

I teach computer use at the college level. Many of my students are beginners. Have zero experience when beginning my class. Others are more experienced and learning more in-depth about computers. ALL my tests are open book. Although there is some content that is tested by asking questions, most of my tests are skill based. The students can either do it or they can't. They have the entire class period to complete the test. If they want to refer to a book to see how something is done, well, that's what we do in real life. Why shouldn't they be able to check? I do draw the line, however, at Phone-A-Friend lol. If they don't already know how to do a significant number of the tasks, they will never complete the test in time. I always tell my students exactly which skills will be on the test. I encourage them to create notes for themselves for any skill they aren't comfortable with. Almost without fail, the students that make these are the best prepared and rarely need them. Tests should be an accurate depiction of what the students know. Tests aren't the place for surprises.

I study liberal arts so it doesn't really make a difference whether it's open book or not but it would probably make a big difference if it's one of the science or math studies. I've had only open book tests this year. It was different but not any easier. I think the teachers expect more from you if they let you use a book. I hate tests whether it's open book or closed book

i have those sometimes, but i find that they are of little use, since i really study and prepare before any test. And we had them in Calculus and Physics, so it is not very useful since it's mostly calculations, only the examples are useful.

For some reason, some University allowed to have open books for examinations. But I never tried days during those days in College. The worst nightmare subject I really hated is Physics, so I still endure to memorize all the formulas just to pass it. In fact, it is only my minor subject. My school that time was so strict in taking exams in class, two chairs apart before we can have the test. Though it is fine for me, the way of doing this is in preparation for national board examinations.

usually open book tests are more difficult than a regular exam. most of the time, the answers are not really in the books. i guess it will really help if you really understand the lessons.

I had an open-book final just a few weeks ago. It was for a class called Women Across Cultures, which was really interesting - but it was also an online class, and because there are no in-class meetings, even for finals, this is how my final was. I got a B on it, which is too bad because I thought I would have done better. But the hard part about an "open book" final is that... you don't have time to re-read all the chapters.Because the test is timed, you even have to consolidate your notes, as you won't have time to re-read through all of your notes. You need to have taken REALLY good notes but also study them so that you know them right away. They are trickier than you would imagine.

Hi, I feel like it's a great idea, but sometimes, students procrastinate and end up not studying. They would rely on getting the answers from the book. Yet, I believe an argument could be made that if they fail, they'll probably learn their lesson.I think teachers do this because they believe that this is the only way to force students to study. Society also bases education based off what you could memorize.

I always felt happy when there was an open book test in my school because i didn't had to memorize long answers and theories which was the worst it can get but yes open book tests are more difficult then the one in which we have to just memorize. You have to find the answers from the whole book, understand them and then write in less time which is a challenge rather then just memorizing things and writing them.