Re: "Those two skills are fairly unimportant in my business."
Exams closed book exams at any level are massively flawed in numerous ways.
As has been said above they inherently favour those with good memories, but as most educational institutions still insist on having students lined up in rows of desks in a hot stuffy hall hand writing exams, they also favour those with good tolerance for uncomfortable working conditions and who have legible handwriting that they can produce quickly.
I recall doing the final exams of my BSc at University in this fashion and not completing what I wanted to write in the allowed time and leaving the room with severe cramp in my hand, I hadn't been required to hand write anything of significance for at least 5 years prior to that, my HE college had allowed us to type our exams on suitably locked down PCs.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
