Studenters upplevelser av examinationen - Högskoleverket

The results of the questionnaire showed that a clear majority are favorably
inclined to the use of old tests in preparing for an exam. The results also
indicated that written tests in examination halls are the form of testing that
is seen to the greatest extent as measuring factual knowledge, while essays are
seen to the greatest extent as measuring understanding. Both of these forms
of examination were seen as being associated with the highest demands. The
results show that students adapted their studying strategy according to
whether they felt the examination would require factual knowledge or
understanding. If the examination primarily required knowledge of facts,
then preparation was mainly geared to learning details and vice versa, that
is, if comprehension was the chief requirement, then studying was adapted
to understanding, regardless of the form of the examination. The study
strategy, that is, focusing on facts vs understanding, also proved to be related
to retention, in that those who studied primarily to memorize facts reported
that they remembered less a few weeks after the examination than did those
who studied with an eye to comprehension. In other words, it is not the form
of the examination as such that seems to have influenced the students’
strategies for studying, but rather their advance perception of the purpose of
the examination. Thus, as we see it, it cannot be affirmed that one form of
examination is always preferable to another form, but rather that the form
of examination is subordinated to the perceived requirements of the course.
6