Modern Examinations
In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually consisted of saying poetry aloud or giving speeches.
In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as a part of the process of testing candidates for the doctor's degree.
Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modern industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination, timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, resembles a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines. There is nothing very human about the examination process.
Two types of tests are commonly used in modern schools. The first type is sometimes called an "objective" test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test, the teacher writes a series of questions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question, the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly.
In objective tests the student has just one task: he must recognise the correct answer and copy its letter (or number) on his examination paper. Sometimes there is an answer sheet on which the four letters or numbers are printed. Then the student has only to circle the one that goes with the correct answer.
For testing a student's memory of facts and details, the objective test has advantages. It can be scored very quickly by the teacher or even by a machine. In a short time, the teacher can find out a great deal about the student's range of knowledge.
For testing some kinds of learning, however, such a test is not very satisfactory. A lucky student may guess the correct answer without really knowing the material. Moreover, some of the wrong answers are usually more incorrect than others, yet the scores on the test will not take account of this fact.
For a clearer picture of what the student knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests. They use "essay" tests, which require students to write long answers to broad and general questions.
One advantage of the essay test is that it reduces the element of luck. The student cannot get a high score just by making a lucky guess. Another advantage is that it shows the examiner more about the student's ability to put facts together into a meaningful whole. It should show how deeply he has thought about the subject. Sometimes, though, essay tests have disadvantages, too. Some students are able to write rather good answers without really knowing much about the subject, while other students who actually know the material have trouble expressing their ideas in essay form.
Besides, in an essay test the student's score may depend upon the examiner's feelings at the time of reading the answer. If he is feeling tired or bored, the student may receive a lower score than he should. Another examiner reading the same answer might give it a much higher mark. From this standpoint, the objective test gives each student a fairer chance, and of course it is easier and quicker to score.
Most teachers and students would probably agree that examinations are unsatisfactory. Students dislike taking them; teachers dislike giving them and scoring students' answers. Whether an objective test or an essay test is used, problems arise. When some objective questions are used along with some essay questions, however, a fairly clear picture of the student's knowledge can usually be obtained.