Open book Examinations

In the present educational climate there is great interest in the examination system by forward‐looking educationists. It is not surprising, therefore, that a wide variety of alternatives to the traditional time‐test examination are being tried. The two main alternatives of continuous assessment and objective examining have already been discussed. They have been in use on a limited scale for a considerable period of time. Their advantages and disadvantages may be fairly clearly assessed. Other experimental methods are not quite so clear cut. Enthusiasm for experimentation has outrun the necessary basic thinking. Methods have been tried before the aims of examining have been clearly thought out and defined. This has led to attempts to modify the time‐test examination and there are two aspects of this: the open book examination and the delayed time‐test examination.