Prior to 1995, the Department of Engineering Technology at Missouri Western State University was engaged in the exit testing of its graduating students using the in-house developed exit exams, and reviewed by faculty from a neighboring university, to assess the content knowledge of its students. The system worked fine but in the mid 1990s with emphasis being placed on outcomes assessment using externally-normed tests such as FE/EIT, Missouri Western also adopted externally-normed tests such as

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... IC (American Institute of Constructors), NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies), and SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineering) for its programs in construction, electronics, and manufacturing respectively. Students' performance in these nationally-normed tests did not match the competence levels reflected in the grades of the students. Soon it was discovered that the content of these external tests, especially in AIC and SME tests, was not aligned with Missouri Western's curriculum in certain areas. A decision was made to revert back to the in-house assessment exams in 2003, and performance of students since the reversal in the exit examination policy, seems to have improved. This paper addresses the key issues of the in-house developed departmental exit exams v/s externally-normed assessment tests and compares the pros and cons of the two different assessment systems. Recommendations are made to determine the exit examination strategy in the light of the objectives of the individual programs.