Having just set a couple of exams recently and wondering about how students used to typing everything would go with handwriting mini-essay answers, so this post over a Derek’s blog seemed pertinent. See Derek’s Blog » Do we learn to hand-write simply to sit exams?.

Personally, I always hand-wrote detailed lecture notes, particularly as I could also add in diagrams etc. and connect ideas on the pages far more quickly and more effectively than notetaking on a laptop. During exam time I would put the computers away and hand-write my prep notes etc. This served me well in exams as I could write fluently (if not always coherently) for extended periods of time. Times change though, I guess.