Testing in the Engineering Curriculum without Numbers

Since putting numbers, even of mixed units, into a formula to determine the answer is a "nobrainer" with today's calculators, constructing a test similar to the type given even ten years ago does little to evaluate a student's understanding of the subject matter and definitely does not evaluate the levels of knowledge as described by Bloom.The National Society of Examination of Engineers and Surveyors is in the process of evaluating a test that does not require any calculations for the Professional Engineering exam.Examinations using questions that test conceptual understanding, the ability to apply knowledge to a new area, and ability to evaluate alternatives can be constructed using short answer questions and multiple choice questions.Example questions from various civil engineering sub-disciplines are presented as well as guidelines for writing these types of questions.