[EricH]

Even in HS, I find a great variation in how tests are given. One teacher had a closed-book policy, however he allowed one test to be open-book because we didn't have enough time to learn the chapter very well. Another teacher said absolutely no open-book tests, we should know this stuff. (In that class, the textbook author gave us some information that he said we didn't need to know for the test. He also gave study sheets in the book. ) A third teacher declared all tests to be open-book, including finals and midterms.

If you don't know something, and you can use a reference book/CD, you use it. If you think you know it, but aren't sure, use the reference anyway. If you know it asleep, don't bother. As has been said in this thread and others, If you use something a lot, you will learn it; if you don't use it a lot, why waste time memorizing it when you have a reference book?