I fly in the exit row nearly every flight due to not being ex-plat on an elite heavy route. I've been on 60 segments, mostly domestic, so far this year and have definitely seen an increase in the thoroughness of these checks.

Every flight has had a verbal confirmation required without exception. People reading during the FA's 30 second speech on the exit row have been asked to stop and pay attention. About 80% of the time verbal confirmation is sufficient. Another 10% or so the FA instructs and waits for us to pull out the safety card when they are going through the speech. The final 10% of the time I have been quizzed as well. Questions I have been asked:

"Which way do you face, fore or aft, when opening the exit door?"

"Do you wait for instruction from an FA before opening the door?"

"What should you check for outside the window before opening the door?"

"Where do you put the exit door after opening it?"