A dominant theme emerging from contemporary university assessment literature is the need to enhance student learning through effective formative feedback and the need to improve current practices. Of particular concern is the traditional university examination. There is a growing body of opinion that the handwritten extended-prose examination is an outmoded assessment type. Questions have been raised about the fairness and fitness of exams in the assessment of student learning for many decades. A clear and urgent point for debate is this: is it time to ditch the traditional university exam given that it appears to be an assessment practice that is outmoded, irrelevant and inappropriate for many, if not most, learners and also very expensive to run?