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| Simple Performance | Predominantly, it is not easy and time overwhelming to build test items that are able to assess higher-order problem-solving abilities. Within Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive levels, these tests are naturally used to evaluate knowledge and knowledge and hardly ever used to evaluate application, analysis, synthesis, or assessment. When the aim of an evaluation is to assess higher-order cognitive skills, authentic performance assessment has been most regularly recommended.
The essay exam characterizes a form of evaluation that is able to assess higher-order abilities and may, therefore be considered a form of performance evaluation. On the other hand, essay exams may be an authentic performance evaluation or a substitute of such an evaluation. While the essay exam is used to evaluate a student's knowledge in some content area, it is an alternative in that it is short of authenticity.
The advantages and disadvantages of using an essay exam in a distance education setting are comparable to those of using a "take home" exam in the conventional classroom. That is, the essay exam is able to assess the deepness of knowledge on an exacting topic.
On the other hand, this evaluation of deepness is increased at the cost of assessing the wideness of knowledge. Dependability of scores is characteristically low for these evaluations, and can be expected to be even lower than the use of objective tests for distance education. One of the causes for an expected low dependability is the non-standardized evaluation atmosphere in distance education. This problem is  widespread between objective testing and essay exams in distance education. On the other hand, essay exams include a supplementary source of measurement error. Test security for essay exams in distance education is no more of an anxiety than it is for a take home exam in the conservative classroom.
Consequently, as with conventional objective tests and computer assisted testing, essay exams can be relatively suitable for formative and analytic assessments in distance education. Nevertheless, like the situation with the other two evaluation approaches, essay exams are not suitable for high-stakes summative or placement evaluations as a result of the difficulties engaged in gaining sufficient precision or dependability for such purposes.
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