sashavegas's comments

A spoken math exam was the following:

There were printed tickets that contains different question (typically 3) from all math coursed tough in school.

A person randomly picks the ticket (that were present, and questions unknow before you pick it) and was given time to answer the questions. After that he sit face to face with person who take the exam (typically if was the professor form university) and explain him your answer, while examiner can ask you additional questions related to your answer, etc. Based on your answer he grades you. In this system you cannot cheat the exam, since examiner will quickly realize if your answer were from cheat or you knew the subject.

Consider old Russian system

After 8 years of school there were exams (written and spoken) where person would be selected to go to 2 more years of school (equivalent of hi school) or if he performs poorly on exam, he can go to professional school for associated degree.

The person who goes to 2 more years of hi school, take exam again, and receive diploma.

Then the person can apply to any university, but to get there it was require to take another 4-5 exams, (entry exams) based on selected study subject. For example, if person decided to go to math/physics, it was required to pass 4 exams (2 for math, written and spoken) and 2 for physics. Based on result, (average score from all entry exams) the person either accepted or not.

If he not accepted, he can repeat it next year or go for associated degree or some lower school.

It was very nice system, where everybody have a shot based on brain and knowledge, no matter from what school person was.

It is nice. Next step to remove The Fields Medal and Clay Research Award. Those gentlemens (Fourier, Hamilton, Leibniz and Sir Isaac Newton) crying in their grave.