Relevance of exams

This idea is referred to from Ting Kiat's blog but I assure you I am not referring to his points, ONLY THE IDEA =D. My definition of exams: A test to gauge one's understanding of a particular subject whereby marks or grades are awarded.

Then the questions come: What is the point of exams other than to gauge the standard of someone? What are the advantages of exams, if any? What are the disadvantages of exams then? Should exams be abolished or kept in the curriculum?

What is the point of exams other than to gauge the standard of someone? In fact, I find that this is the only point - to let teachers and students themselves know how they fair in a particular subject and try to improve (students). What else is there?

Advantages of exams

The advantages are merely to let students know where they stand and hopefully spur them to improve via competition with other classmates, allow teachers to assess their students to identify the weaker ones who would require more help and for the school to provide awards (or rather incentives) to encourage students to strive harder or maintain their standard. These are the advantages from my perspective, there may be more but that’s all I can think of now…

Disadvantages of exams

Competition between students for better results may be perceived as a good way to urge improvement but cultivating over-competitive students is not what the school should do isn’t it? In fact, I have just one example in class – deemed the class mugger. His name shall not be revealed but he’s the one who got 1.0 MSG for 2 terms straight (actually he’s a competitor of mine -.-) Over-competitive students are bad (see poor vocabulary of mine!) as they tend to aim for the best ALWAYS in almost any aspect. I think that’s why he’s called the class mugger…

Ok, back to disadvantages. Students who receive unsatisfactory results tend to lean towards “conceding” defeat to studies and totally ignore it for the rest of their lives. Students who obtain exemplary results tend to strive harder and improve or simply just to maintain their placing but such students are constantly under immense stress as they “force” themselves to do well (I have to admit but I am like that and I hate it).

Another disadvantage is that students only study for exams at the last possible moment and the method is to memorize everything that will be tested. Such knowledge will only stay in the mind temporarily and is easily forgotten, however, it is still able to help them obtain excellent marks for exams. Hence whether or not the students are knowledgeable in a particular subject, the one who memorizes most efficiently will normally top the class. Therefore, is this still a good gauge of student’s standards? I guess not.

Lastly, it is the pressure of parents who always want their students to be the best – if they have obtained commendable results before. I think this was what changed me – the urge to always be one of the best and the pressure and expectations that I shoulder from my parents.
Conclusion + Opinions

Hence, is there actually a point in having exams? I would say yes to only final year exams but NO to termly examinations. I don’t see a point in having exams every term as students will still get over it by cramming everything in their head each time there is a test as almost everyone wants to do well. Only having final year examinations will be greatly appreciated by most students as that would be a huge boulder off their shoulders. The method of studying which I have mentioned above will not work for final year examinations as there is way too much to study to cram into one’s head. Also, students would be less competitive as there are lesser exams for them to pit against one another. However, I doubt that this “idea” of mine will ever be implemented…Singaporeans are always so kia su to be the best and the MoE probably believes that having exams is the best -.-

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do pardon me for my pathetic vocabulary - i will try to improve