A Comparison of Take-Home Versus In-Class Exams

This study attempted to determine if the currently popular take-home exam was as effective a learning vehicle as is the traditional in-class exam. Ten classes from five universities were randomized into two equal groups. Members of Group A were given a take-home test and members of Group B were administered an in-class test. One week later, an unannounced test, accompanied by a questionnaire, was given to all participants. The latter, an objective test, measured the first three levels of Bloom's Hierarch) of Cognitive Learning. Three two-wav analyses of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the B Group members attained significantly higher learning performances than did the A Group members, in all categories. The participants admitted that they studied harder for an in-class exam. The results suggested that the in-class exam produced a greater amount of study and learning in a college-level academic environment.