Hi Tim: There are pros and cons to every kind of evaluation. Although not always easy, we want to be able to "tune in" to the students to determine to what degree they have acquired the desired skills and/or learning. + Pretesting can alert students to what they can expect is later assessments. + Study guides help separate the "nice to know" from the "need to know". + Well written learning objectives really tell the student in advance what is nexpected of them. With these and other assessment preparations performed, the opportunity to employ a variety of testing formats becomes more abundant. Regards, Barry