Other considerations may be important. Supply-format questions require students to analyze the question, to organize the salient points, and to respond coherently. Faculty can trace students' thought processes and sample their writing ability. Thought tracing is very difficult to assess with selection-format questions. However, exam writing often provides little clues to students' true writing abilities.
Term papers are better suited for assessing writing ability.
There are several cooperative examination formats. They discuss their answers, but each member hands-in an individual answer sheet. A student's overall score is a weighted average of their two percentage scores on the split-half tests. The importance of individual accountability versus positive interdependence affects the relative weights that faculty assign to expression The test-retest format requires that first students complete the exam individually. Immediately after taking the exam but before receiving their grades, students form teams, retake the exam, discuss the questions, and arrive at a consensus answer.