ARE EXAMS THE BEST WAY TO TEST STUDENTS?
Are exams the best way to test students? This question is a topic of debate for many. Some people feel it is not, whereas for other people the traditional method of testing students is perfect and needs no change.
When I went ahead to search more about this debate, both the sides had their independent views and which were right. So, making any decision here, I will be just sharing you that point and that will be up to you to choose your side.
First of all talking in favour, some students and teachers believed that exams are the best way to test students. It provides equal opportunity to every student appearing in exams. Question papers are same for everyone. Thus, there's no chance of being partial and everyone gets assessed in the same manner.
Also with regular exams, a student gets to see if he or she is learning something because maybe the student is learning things, but if he doesn't know how to express it, how to make it useful. Students need a formal way of getting assessed too. A formal way will only make a student more disciplined about their subjects. The examination will check if the student has studied the subject or learned the matter that has been taught in the classroom.
For some students, examinations help them in growing as after learning and studying for days; an exam is a much-needed way for them to see what they have learned and to see if they are doing good or not. Exams are not only in the schools or colleges. For every single thing, you have to go through the tests. So, one should be ready for any exam. The exam makes a student ready for the exams coming ahead in their lives. Most importantly we need examinations to get an equal division between skills, experience and academic knowledge a student possess. The examination is the only way to divide them instead of testing them in an impartial manner. Exams are clear and have measurable guidelines. The student gets what he or she has written.
But if I think about the people who feel that exams are not the best way to test students, they also have some solid points.
They say, how can you judge so many students with so many different abilities and skills based on a single exam? Maybe one student like math and will top it but for the other student, just getting passing marks in math is a big task.
But talking about same students, the student weaker in math is great at art, but the student topped math hardly knew to draw. Taking this as example, it is the correct way to see students. Every student has their capabilities. Forcing them to study for the subject they are least interested in will only bring chaos to their mind. They will be stressed and with fewer marks they may feel weak. Our system already had made categories among the students. The toppers are asked everywhere, but the students with a few marks, are taken as a burden. Examinations, in reality, don't really differentiate among student on the basis of their skills. Instead, Examination is about remembering things more than learning things.
Those who remembers well get passed and those who not, are marked as a weak student. Due to which students with few marks feel their skills and abilities are getting waste after something which they'll not even use in future. And with low marks, students lose their confidence and even their creativity. All after the subject they hated and didn't actually planning to use in future.
Students feel, all system is doing is taking exams without actually knowing if the students are learning something or just cramming to pass the papers. The exams cannot decide the future of any student. Some marks cannot portrait students as a topper or the weaker students. Instead of the regular exams, the teacher should judge a student on the basis of their talent and skills.
Finally, those were the two aspects of the question asked. But let me tell you, everything have its advantages and disadvantages. That depends on you how you see things. Where, for some people examinations are bliss whereas for some people it is just waste of time, which doesn't really help in learning of a student. So, it's on you, which side do you take. There is nothing wrong in the examination. Maybe if we can change the pattern of things in our education system, we can bring change for the students.