> Most tests are essentially nothing more than tests for the ability of rote memorization

This a hundred times. If I had to hire someone for a job, I would rather hire someone who knows how to search online the answer to a problem than the one who repeats the book word for word without knowing what he/she is talking about.

Exams are crap like that because better exams would require the use of one professor asking non trivial questions for each student, which costs money.