  Parsons problems are a type of programming activity that present learners
with blocks of existing code and requiring them to arrange those blocks to form
a program rather than write the code from scratch. Micro Parsons problems
extend this concept by having students assemble segments of code to form a
single line of code rather than an entire program. Recent investigations into
micro Parsons problems have primarily focused on supporting learners leaving
open the question of micro Parsons efficacy as an exam item and how students
perceive it when preparing for exams.
  To fill this gap, we included a variety of micro Parsons problems on four
exams in an introductory programming course taught in Python. We use Item
Response Theory to investigate the difficulty of the micro Parsons problems as
well as the ability of the questions to differentiate between high and low
ability students. We then compare these results to results for related
questions where students are asked to write a single line of code from scratch.
Finally, we conduct a thematic analysis of the survey responses to investigate
how students' perceptions of micro Parsons both when practicing for exams and
as they appear on exams.
