This is the summary of a presentation given at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, January 10-13, 1996, Orlando, Florida.

In the past, reviewing prerequisite material at the beginning of a course has always been unsatisfactory for me. I now begin my senior-level second course in linear algebra by giving a take-home exam based on first course material, giving my students 2-3 weeks to complete it. In class I answer questions, discuss terminology, etc. This seems to work much better for me. In the talk I will discuss the variety of problems posed, and what my students' performance indicates about the kinds of things they know (and don't know). The complete exam, information on student performance, and student evaluation of the take-home exam procedure will be available at the talk.

David H. Carlson, San Diego State University