Maybe I worded my post badly; I was trying to say that your idea of a good test isn't in line with how tests are designed in my experience of education. If you

Maybe I worded my post badly; I was trying to say that your idea of a good test isn't in line with how tests are designed in my experience of education. If you agree with the sentiment that children should be punished for trying to optimise for exams, then yes I think your picture of how tests work (at the moment, in school especially and somewhat college) is wrong. I see nothing wrong with a well designed test, made to cover a whole course and to be fruitless to optimise for. At least in the UK in school, all STEM type exams are not like that as far as I remember. Humanities exams are much closer in style to this. I do think GCSE and A-level science exams could be much better designed. At college level though I'm not sure the way you describe is the only good way to do things. I'll refrain from saying what I think about your idea of how to "do mathematics correctly".