tokens: "Pen and Paper" Examination Examinations are one of the most common methods of measuring learning in education systems throughout the world . At virtually every stage of the learning process, exams are used to verify that the learner is ready to move on to the next stage . However, many believe that the role of examinations should be reconsidered . There are clearly advantages to exams . They help to ensure fairness by imposing the same conditions on all exam candidates . They are also relatively versatile; different types of exam questions, for example, multiple-choice questions and essay tasks, can test different sorts of reasoning ability . However, exams also have some drawbacks . Test-wise candidates can often perform well on exams without having good underlying knowledge or skills . In contrast, some test-takers perform cannot achieve a satisfying result because of anxiety . In this case, teachers and learners focus only on theses aspects of the curriculum that are likely to be tested, thus narrowing the educational experience for all . A number of measures should be taken to address these concerns . Wherever possible, exams should match the content and activities of the learning environment . Exam task should be varied to give fair opportunities to candidates with different types of skills . Other types of assessment should also be considered, assignment writing, for example, to assess independent learning and research skills, or group projects, to measure teamwork ability . In conclusion, it is convincing that exams have a role to play in ensuring proper and objective assessment of achievement . However, exams need to be carefully designed and supplemented with other forms of evaluation if they are to be a truly useful component of the education system .