The positive benefits from the observation that test duration is mostly uncorrelated with student grades

Kevin G. Dunn
2015 Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA)  
New and experienced instructors strugglewith setting tests and exams at a suitable level ofdifficulty, with appropriate questions for the allocatedtime. Tests that are too short might be thought of as givingstudents undue advantage. Exams that are too long leavestudents feeling pressured and anxious, and without timefor careful thought to display mastery of the conceptsbeing tested.Unlimited time tests are a way to eliminate the effect ofanxiety. In this paper we start by reviewing existing
more » ... on this topic and explain the data collected in our context.We confirm the literature findings that grades are notinflated by longer durations – if anything, we show thereis a slight decrease with longer durations.Practical applications exist for universities that arefacing pressure to shorten exam durations, due toscheduling limitations as class sizes grow. Mainly though,these results will set the mind of new instructors at ease,and validate suspicions of veteran instructors: tests mustbe of short-enough duration to alleviate time-pressure andanxiety. Building in excess time is required to fairly assesslearning outcomes. Students have a higher level ofsatisfaction knowing they can display their capabilityfairly, and this comes without undue advantage.
doi:10.24908/pceea.v0i0.5806 fatcat:jwosohzg2bg5vodzivetpf3keu