The advantages and disadvantages of the objective-type tests considered for use in Britain for the Certificate of Secondary Education are presented. The objective test is a form of examination in which every question is set in such a way as to have only one right answer. Of the four types of assessment, objective, conventional written (or oral), psychological, and educational, this paper concerns itself with the first. Some advantages listed are: (1) The marking is more rapid than that of the conventional test and does not require the services of skilled examiners; (2) There is no subjective element in assessing whether answers are good or poor; (3) A properly constructed examination can be given thousands of candidates with only administrative difficulties; (4) There is more coverage of area to be examined with a larger number of short items; and (5) The scope of the objective examination is by no means confined to memory of facts. A summary of some disadvantages are: (1) The construction of the test is comparatively elaborate, and requires the services of technically trained experts; (2) Objective-type tests seem too easy and depend too much on speed of work; (3) The more complex questions are difficult to construct and answering depends on the examinee's reading comprehension and sophistication in coping with the medium; and (4) Though facility in writing may be irrelevant to achievement in science, it is an educationally valuable skill in its own right, whereas facility with objective items is of no general value. (Author/LS)