Tutoring Experts Say Final Exams Should Be Open Book

Education experts have made a suggestion that schools across the country should hold open-book final exams.

The Australian Tutoring Association (ATA) has led the call, saying that closed-book testing is detrimental to critical thinking.

"At the moment what we're doing is we're requiring students to rely on memory rather than application," said Mohal Dhall, CEO of the association.

"The pressure is not on how you use resources, it's on how well you memorise [them]."

Dhall referred to the current system of school examinations as "predictable," because students are simply "regurgitating" answers based on templates and past exams.

By radically overhauling the system, he thinks students will be better prepared for the real world.

Natasha Opacic - a Year 12 student - spoke with SBS about the process behind writing and re-writing essays. "I feel like there's a lot that needs to be remembered because you're not really sure as to what they're going to ask you ," she said.

The NSW Board of Studies has said there are no plans to introduce open-book testing, because efforts had already been made to reduce opportunities for pre-prepared responses.

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