REPLY

The suggestion in today's Mail for returning the examination papers of courses ending at Midyears is undoubtedly representative of the undergraduate attitude toward the present practice of retaining them as records. Whatever reason there may be for such a retention of the bluebooks as records by the University has never received any adequate explanation. As the letter points out, a review of the examination is desirable for uncovering the weak as well as the good points of the student's knowledge of the course on which he has been tested. The usual habit of the average undergraduate is to forget all about the particular questions asked on the examination as soon as he has received notice of his grade in the course. A passing mark, the immediate goal, assumes precedence over the far more important aim of possessing a comprehensive acquaintance with the subject matter of the course.

The trend of Harvard toward a well broadened education has made of the four-courses-a-year system merely a structure on which are built the tutorial system, the Reading Period, Ancient Authors examinations, language requirements, and particularly, the divisional examinations in the Senior year. Intelligent preparation for the latter demands up-to-date notebooks for reference and a painstaking review of the whole field of concentration. Test papers and the student's discussion of the questions asked would be an invaluable aid for such a-review. The practical solution of the problem is that suggested in the letter. A simple announcement as to where the bluebooks may be secured after the grades have been filed in University Hall would do away with any added burden on the assistants of the courses.