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  1. Why is there a complete homework and exercise tag, when all the question asked under that category are termed as off-topic. This tab accounts as the second largest tab but still the moderators down vote and also mark the topics under this tag even after providing a complete attempt done by the person who is asking the question. Why don't you people just discard the tag of 'homework and exercise'.

  2. Second thing, do even conceptual question account for homework and exercise questions? Recently I just asked a simple question, whether the force in some direction should be zero or not, i even presented my own view and I didn't even ask the PSE to give me the complete answer to the question(I had only written the conceptual part in which I was facing problem) which I wanted to solve, still the question was regarded as belonging to homework and exercises. Pretty much abstruse!

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    $\begingroup$ For the record, the determination of whether a question is on-topic or off-topic is independent of whether a corresponding tag exists or not. $\endgroup$
    – Qmechanic Mod
    Commented Jun 29, 2016 at 11:01
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    $\begingroup$ The advanced search tools make it pretty easy to look for open, upvoted homework-and-exercise questions. So perhaps you might want to rethink that "all questions asked under that category are termed off-topic"? $\endgroup$
    – Emilio Pisanty
    Commented Jun 29, 2016 at 11:11
  • $\begingroup$ Have you not read the tag info of homework-and-exercises? Homework doesn't have to mean literally a question of homework assignment; it can be any self-studied problem. Homework questions are only closed when they blatantly ask for spoon-feeding or even though there is effort, there is not actually any conceptual query (like where did I make mistake etcetera) or both. So, there is no reason to get annoyed if your question is marked with the tag. Simply tagging the question with HW, doesn't mean it is off-topic. Conceptual query is always tolerable here. $\endgroup$
    – user36790
    Commented Jun 29, 2016 at 12:19
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    $\begingroup$ @MAFIA36790 In many of my questions where I have asked truly conceptual thing, for example, how can I move further in the question; and also all the questions were self studied by still they were marked and that's why I asked. $\endgroup$
    – user118752
    Commented Jun 29, 2016 at 14:32

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The tag exists for people who don't want to see homework-motivated questions. They can ignore the tag to filter those questions out of their view.

As people pointed out in the comments, your premise that all questions are off topic is false. There are questions which are on topic and yet should have the tag, but it takes some care to ask such a question. In summary, it needs to ask about a concept (i.e. not for an answer or a procedure) and it needs to show how the concept in question emerges in the process of solving the problem. (This is part of what we consider "effort".)

That being said, our homework policy is changing soon. Perhaps at that point, we will get rid of the tag.

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    $\begingroup$ In many of my questions where I have asked truly conceptual thing, for example, how can I move further in the question; and also all the questions were self studied by still they were marked and that's why I asked. $\endgroup$
    – user118752
    Commented Jun 29, 2016 at 14:33
  • $\begingroup$ 'It needs to show how the concept in question merges in the process of solving the problem' is actually very close to the core of what we mean; maybe that can be reworked into something fit for the closure banner? $\endgroup$
    – Emilio Pisanty
    Commented Jun 29, 2016 at 17:33

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