For years, we have been familiar with the pen-paper format of the examination, where students get a question booklet, consisting of the question problems that need to be answered or solved by writing. To modernize the exam mode, and improve students’ critical thinking and knowledge, the open book exam is conducted in schools and colleges these days.
Open book exam meaning is an assessment method designed in such a way that allows students to refer to textbooks, class notes, or any other approved material while answering questions. Open book exam meaning is that students are provided with the question paper before writing the exam. It tends to ask students to analyze, synthesize, compare, or evaluate information. They test whether you understand the main thing of the course and how it works. It requires you to understand the material properly and be able to apply or analyze information and content rather than just remember it. These exams provide students with a second learning opportunity to absorb and understand the course material. By reading the above-mentioned information, we can make out the open book test meaning in detail.
While reading through the textbook for answers, students will get more knowledge on the subject and can prepare for future examinations and professional development in a better way. To prepare for the open book exam, read and understand the test guidelines, know the test format, test yourself, study the class materials, plan your time, and carve out a quiet test-taking spot with minimal distractions. Follow the below-mentioned tips to score your best in open-book exams.
- Study well: preparation is the key
An open-book exam doesn’t mean that you don’t have to prepare anything in advance. You have to prepare more. Make sure you revise the material thoroughly. The questions won’t be straight or direct. There are chances of getting questions that might check your analyzing, comparing, and synthesizing power. So prepare accordingly.
- Prepare your material
Arrange the notes, gather the right material, and create indices of the key topics. This will be very helpful to crack the exam with a good score.
- Time management
During the main exam, make sure to manage your time well. Don’t overspend your time reading your notes and content. First, read the question properly, give a quick read to the relatable content to the question, and start writing.
Many schools and colleges organize open-book exams. While doing an open book exam you need to use your skills to analyze what is the perfect answer for the given question. Overall it can be said that these exams are good for improving your skills.
Advantages of Open Book Exam
Open book exam have several advantages over traditional closed-book exams, including:
- Reduced stress: Open book exams can be less stressful for students, as they do not have to worry about memorizing a large amount of information. It helps in focusing on solutions rather than just memorizing something.
- Increased focus on understanding: Open book exam allow students to focus on understanding the concepts and principles of the course material, rather than simply memorizing facts. This helps in increasing their ability to research a particular topic and remember concepts for a long time.
- Development of higher-order thinking skills: Open book exam can be used to assess students’ higher-order thinking skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and analysis.
- Improved preparation for the real world: Open book exams are more reflective of the real world, where people have access to information and resources when they need them. In the real world, students will be provided with a problem statement and they have to research the solution themselves.
The objective of the open book exam is to assess students’ ability to understand, and apply the course material to new and unfamiliar situations, think critically and solve problems, and use resources effectively.
Examinations are one of the basic stepping stones in traditional schooling, used to check a student’s knowledge retention and problem-solving skills in a given subject matter. However, this method can cause unnecessary stress upon young minds and rush the learning process. To modernize the process, educational institutions such as schools and universities have begun a new method known as open book examination.
What is open book examination?
Unlike traditional examinations, open book examination means that exam candidates can use class notes, textbooks, online tools and other permitted resources to answer the examination question paper. Compared to the former which tests memory and knowledge retention, open-book exams focus mostly on concept learning and application.
What is open book examination benefits?
The modernized approach of open book examination means that there are several benefits over closed book exams. Let us take a look at these advantages.
- Not all students learn in the same manner or at the same pace. By conducting open-book exams, students are less stressed about retaining formulas and other rote information.
- Open-book exams reflect the present situation of education, where most knowledge resources can be contained within our smartphones. The argument of lugging around heavy books is now invalid.
- Rather than leaving out certain lengthy portions of the syllabus, students are more inclined to go through all parts of the material and familiarise themselves with the content and application.
- Students learn valuable life skills such as logical decision-making, critical thinking and problem-solving, which are all higher-order thinking skills that can be applied to other areas of life.
What is open book examination methodology?
Most think holding an open book exam means the questions won’t be challenging. However, this is far from the case. Here are 3 ways to make open book exams a valuable test of knowledge:
- Include questions which are not straightforward but rather require a thorough understanding of different portions of the concept to test the student’s reading skills.
- Test the decision-making skills of the student by setting up case studies and situational aptitude questions.
- Use multiple-choice questions to test the personality and interests of students, which helps understand the demographic of the classroom.
Teachmint offers a scalable Integrated School Platform to educational organizations. With the help of this system, institutes can take care of their processes from a single platform. For example, they can use ERP software for schools to streamline the enrollment process. Likewise, the LMS portal offers a customized teaching-learning experience to teachers and students
Learn more about Teachmint plans here.
