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Zitro 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 11 2005
Location: United States
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Points: 1321
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 Topic: How do you prefer your tests?
Posted: September 06 2007 at 11:40 |
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If you take a non-math test, how would you like your test to be like?
_The Fill in the bubbles of Multiple Choice and True/False questions?
_The one where you fill in a blank with a phrase, word, number, vocabulary term, etc?
_The one where you answer with a sentence or two, explaning something
_The one where you have to write several sentences and even paragraphs.
_A mixture of these.
Edited by Zitro - September 06 2007 at 11:42
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Vompatti
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Points: 67407
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 12:09 |
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The first choice. It's difficult to guess right in an essay.
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laplace
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Points: 7606
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 12:12 |
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I always found essays easiest because I could ramble and ramble and gradually remind myself of what my conclusion should be. When I'm just ticking boxes I get impulsive.
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Equality 7-2521
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Joined: August 11 2005
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Points: 15784
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 12:12 |
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Essays. You can't get tricked by semantics or by misreading with an
essay. It's also the best chance to show the professor that you
understand the material even if you can't quite answer the question
fully; multiple choice and fill in the blank don't allow any
flexibility like that.
Also you can bullsh*t with an essay, with the others you're just playing odds.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Ivan_Melgar_M
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 12:20 |
As a lawyer, I always liked the oral tests, if you didn't knew the "B" issue, you could talk about "A" and "C", that normally fooled the teacher and you got a great grade anyway. 
In this case, very long reponses, because you can go further.
For my thesis I wrote a 1,800 pages essay, I'm 100% sure that none of the juries dared to read it completely, so I was very calmed because I knew I was better informed than any of them.
Iván
Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - September 06 2007 at 16:33
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Raff
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Joined: July 29 2005
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Points: 24429
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 12:35 |
Probably essays, especially if I'm into the subject they're testing me about. That way, you can really show what you know, and also that you can put your knowledge into words in an articulate, logical manner. Here in Italy there is a heavy emphasis on oral testing, which can be very stressful for some people. I've never actually had any problems with that, though - as long as I knew the subject, of course... 
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Barla
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Joined: April 13 2006
Location: Argentina
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Points: 4309
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 18:44 |
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Tests with long and short responses, but never too long. But my opinion may change as I've not finished highschool yet.
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The Miracle
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Joined: May 29 2005
Location: hell
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Points: 28427
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 19:21 |
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Multiple-Choice / True-False please... that way I always have the right answer among the choices and I can be reminded what I know but don't remember, also I can always eliminate or guess and have a minimum chance 1/4 to be right, while if i don't know the answer to an essay question I'm really screwed.
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rileydog22
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 24 2005
Location: New Jersey
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Points: 8844
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 19:40 |
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Essays suck.
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Leningrad
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 15 2006
Location: Canada
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Points: 7991
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 19:44 |
Multiple Choice, although 1 words are easy with memorization.
I hate essays. They're always way to vague. "Discuss how this question made you feel. At least 5 paragraphs."
I had one essay where I couldn't remember anything, so I just did a 3 paragraph discussion about how Hitler could have won WW2.
Yeah, it was in Science. What of it?
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Dean
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Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
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Points: 37575
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 21:00 |
I finished my formal education nearly 30 years ago when multiple choice questions were not the norm. But I have employed an awful lot of people whose educational achievements have been assessed by the first three options in this poll and it drives me to despair. I can understand that from a students point of view all you want to do is pass the test in the easiest way, and schools, colleges and universities are looking to pass as many people as possible to make their stats look good, but in the real world those “skills” are meaningless.
Life isn't multiple-choice, you can't just fill in the blanks and short answers do not demonstrate any measure of understanding. 
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What?
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el böthy
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 27 2005
Location: Argentina
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Points: 6336
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Posted: September 06 2007 at 22:16 |
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Where is the "none" option?!?!
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"You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Tapfret
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Joined: August 12 2007
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 00:42 |
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Essays allow a more hollistic approach to your knowledge of a given subject. Multiple choice strips you of any critical thinking skills you might have at your disposal.
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moreitsythanyou
Forum Senior Member
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 00:53 |
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I'm fine with any. If you have all 4, it shows a very thorough comprehension of the material. Of course, I'd hate an essay for something like science, but it's great for history or English. I'm good with an even amount of all 4 throughout the year.
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 <font color=white>butts, lol[/COLOR]
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stonebeard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 27 2005
Location: NE Indiana
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Points: 28057
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 01:02 |
What is this essay nonsense!  If I want to know the material, I'll know it, but I don't want to write a bunch of words about crap I may or may not enjoy if I don't have to! Tests are practically worthless; all you ever get out of a class that betters you is what you want to get out of it through lecture and discussion. A test is just to get a grade, not to somehow make you know the material better. So, I choose multiple choice.
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asimplemistake
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Joined: March 13 2007
Location: United States
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Points: 840
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 01:02 |
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I'm better with certain information, and not so much critical thinking/essay writing, but I'd prefer no tests. I learn best by experiencing things and doing things, not by cramming for tests and reading something and coming up with ideas.
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Novalis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 15 2007
Location: New Zealand
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Points: 338
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 01:12 |
I used to say multi choice was the best, but now I hate them.
They are designed to confuse...
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Tapfret
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
Joined: August 12 2007
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Points: 8581
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 01:53 |
 stonebeard wrote:
What is this essay nonsense! If I want to know the material, I'll know it, but I don't want to write a bunch of words about crap I may or may not enjoy if I don't have to! Tests are practically worthless; all you ever get out of a class that betters you is what you want to get out of it through lecture and discussion. A test is just to get a grade, not to somehow make you know the material better. So, I choose multiple choice. |
That's how we end up with U.S. kids getting to high school without so much as basic arithmetic skills or the ability to point out the Pacific Ocean on a map. The curriculum is taught but nobody tests them to determine whether they have the basic skill sets to move on. You have to have some standard by which you measure knowledge. Do you really want a surgeon operating on you who has not been tested in basic anaomy and physiology? I think not. 
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stonebeard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 27 2005
Location: NE Indiana
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Points: 28057
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 02:01 |
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^ No, they have the crap tested out of them. But they forget it all after cramming because they don't care and because geography doesn't relate to the lives of dumb blonds going into nursing. Those are the kind of people that can't find the Pacific Ocean on a map. They can get paid a reasonable amount of money themselves and marry their rich lawyer who can tell them where the Pacific Ocean is if they ever need to know.
Tests are necessary because the students have to have grades somehow, but they're practically worthless in high school. The BAR exam...now that's a good kind of test.
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kazansky
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 24 2006
Location: Indonesia
Status: Offline
Points: 5085
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Posted: September 09 2007 at 02:20 |
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multiple choices, or short answers. i don't like writting whole bunch of crap that could be said with only a few simple words
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How do you prefer your tests?
