Well, I support the multiple choice theory, but if the test were an essay format i would much rather have the questions centered around an in class essay, which is faster and less term-specific, and allows me to better incorporate all of my thoughts at once instead of going home and having to cite terms from the book in order to sound like i know how to communicate. either way is fine as long as they are equivalent in difficulty, which you (skye) didn't really specify.