The goal of teaching philosophy is to develop philosophically literate students and to ensure that students develop philosophical literacy by design and not by chance. Perhaps the best method for teaching philosophy to beginning students is the public model, in which the practice of defending positions in the public arena forces students to become more self-reflective about their positions. Multiple choice exams can be an effective testing method for philosophy courses in that they can encourage students to think deeply about philosophical issues, test whether students can make conceptual distinctions, and help instructors handle grading with large classes and course loads. However, essay exams or written papers represent the best and most appropriate method for testing philosophical literacy. In addition to in-class essay questions on exams, out-of-class critical essay papers provide useful means of determining outcomes that are not dependent upon students' memory on a given test day. In an ideal grading mix, 20% to 25% of the final grade should reflect the students' scores on the final exam, 20% to 25% should reflect student scores on out-of-class writing assignments, and 0 to 20% should reflect the quality of a student's participation in classroom discussion and debates. Sample multiple choice questions are appended. (HAA)