Multiple choice vs essay...

I can't recall actually sitting down for a "test" and having to handwrite a long essay when I was an undergrad (but I do remember doing this a bit in high school).  Of course, I didn't take many history, english, etc. courses, but the ones I did take had no exams, just papers.

Epignosis wrote: As a teacher, I never once gave a multiple choice test unless the state required it.  Every single assessment I gave was open-ended.  It was time consuming for me to grade, but as an English teacher, open-ended assessments enabled me to gauge students' overall comprehension of not just the material, but syntax, grammar, clarity, etc. I should add that all of my tests were open-book as well.

We live in a complex world and most professional fields have so much data associated with them it is impossible to just memorize it. The truly successful know where there sources of reference are. Looking up an answer for multiple choice tests is cheating; looking them up for essay tests is research. One can easily discern understanding versus regurgitation. 

I'd rather take a multiple choice question because it involves less writing however as far as fairness goes, I'd go with essays. The fault you highlighted is an issue, but these days (in England at least) no tutor will mark you on your opinion. I've given some pretty contraversial opinions in exams before and I feel like I've had fair marks for every one.