ASA 2014 test question 16

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by ASA/NYSSOBLUE

...our high school test here in New York, we have to take it as a group, and it is CLOSED BOOK.... a friend of mine and myself will get that test, and get it done - 100 questions, including checking - in about 30-35 minutes. And both get scores in the 97-99 range. And there are veterans who take FOREVER to get it done.

My point is this: You SHOULD be able to these tests relatively quick - if you can't get it right on the test quickly, how are you going to be able to react on the field?...

You have described one philosophy / purpose for these tests... namely to test the official in their knowledge and application of the rules that they would carry with them to the field. This is the classic exam philosophy - to test what you have learned.

The test philosophy used here is different. Our tests are given open book, and it is "legal" for them to be openly discussed among your fellow umpires (at your association meeting, for example). The purpose of such a test is quite different from what you described. The purpose is to encourage umpires to read / dig into the rule book, and to encourage discussion of different plays and scenarios.

Not being a teacher or a clinician, I can see the advantages of each approach. The major disadvantage of the closed book exam approach for any state-wide testing is probably logistics.