Abstract
Although many researchers have measured speaking exams, few attention was given to Libyan institutions. This study investigates oral exam challenges and seeks to identify basic factors affecting the reliability of oral/speaking exams at Libyan Universities as perceived by both the undergraduate students and their instructors. It examines reliability from three different sides: (i) the quality of conversation exams used at the university, (ii) the instructors, and (iii) students' beliefs, and attitudes toward the process of the exam and its outcomes. The data was collected first through observation of oral examinations at three different Libyan universities (namely Tripoli, Zawya and Al-Asmarya), and one instructor from each university was interviewed. Then, by a questionnaire given to 108 undergraduate students at these three universities to identify their preference and attitudes toward the quality of oral exams and the exam outcomes. The results revealed that the students were more satisfied about their marks compared to the instructors who showed less satisfaction about their rating representations. Most instructors complained from the exhausting large number of the students, using different scales of assessment, and the unsuitability of exam classrooms. The results of the students' questionnaire indicated that some examinees perceived that their performance during the oral/speaking exams were more affected by stress, anxiety and their low degree of self-confidence. The conclusion suggests some recommendations that can be considered in future oral examinations in Libya.