  There are numerous e-assessment systems devoted to specific domains under
diverse license models. Cost, extensibility, and maintainability are relevant
issues for an institution. Ease of use and inclusion into courses are
educator's main concerns. For students the user experience and fast transparent
feedback plus "better" tests are most important. Many exams still focus on
testing memorized knowledge, instead of improving and testing skills with
competence-oriented learning support and examinations, respectively. We discuss
design decisions and present the resulting architecture of YAPS - Your open
Assessment system for emPowering Students. YAPS has been used for very diverse
lectures in logistics, computer engineering, and algorithms for exams, but also
for empowering students by fast feedback during the learning period. We report
on results in a basic lecture on Computer Science for Mechanical Engineers.
