Continuous assessment at university teaching of accounting

Continuous assessment has been used in Spanish universities after the implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and so it is important to study its effects on students' acquisition of knowledge. The goal of this paper is to analyse whether continuous assessment shows a positive effect university students' learning, which is reflected in final exam scores. It also sets out to prove whether the number of mid-point tests and their different formats affects the students' learning process. We have analysed a sample of 1670 scores from different subjects of Financial Accounting for the last three academic years. The results allow us to confirm our initial hypothesis that continuous assessment positively affects final exam scores, and so it has a positive impact on the learning process. The type of tests taken as part of the students' continuous assessment likewise affects their learning process; however, it is important that mid-point tests are designed carefully. Even though previous studies on the matter have pointed towards the benefits of switching the format of mid-point tests every year, their design can still determine the students' final exam scores.