Exam season, the most traitorous season of all for some. Ahead of Calgary winters, exam season is a dreaded time in which students diligently put to work their accumulated knowledge in a final leg to “prove” to teachers, parents and themselves that they have actually learned something in the past few months. But as the student body becomes immersed in this insatiable realm of studying, more studying, and yet again, more studying, we begin to lose the grasp on why. Why must students be required to take an exam of fifty or more questions in order to prove to society that they have the capacity to succeed? As exam season is nearing its blissful end, we must raise this question and seek the purpose of exams. For what is the point of doing something, if it serves no use in the grand scheme of it all.
The rudimentary purpose of exams seems to be the fact of achieving grades in order to gain acceptance into the university of one’s choice. But why are exams taken into consideration more than other essential skills of a well-rounded student, such as diligence, volunteering and social and leadership skills. Thus, we are led to the fundamental idea that exams are not the best way to assess a student. One student is different from the other, with distinct learning habits. Some students may excel in written exams, while others may thrive in presentations and projects. It is inequitable for a diverse population of students to be assessed by the same type of exam. For many years in Calgary, Diploma exams have counted towards 50% of a student’s overall grade. Half of a student’s grade clings onto the results of one exam. Therefore, students who bear better with different methods of communicating what they have learned are not given the opportunity to do so. The fact of the matter is, that some students are not test-takers. They should not be discriminated for having different skill sets.
Then of course, there is the factor of stress. Life is stressful. However, exams provoke the “stress factor” in students, preventing some from rightfully excelling in their studies. Schools advertise that they want their students to do the best that they can achieve. Yet, by enforcing the pressure of the large weight of exams in classes, students are hindered from showcasing all of their skill sets. Mr. Bower, an innovative blogger and teacher in Red Deer, stated in one of his blog posts, “It has been shown, many times, that the more a student is told to focus on their marks, the less engaged they become about the learning. Classrooms should have less of an emphasis on achievement and marks, and more emphasis on autonomy, mastery, and purpose.” (See his full article on his own perspective of the purpose of exams here). By having such an immense focus on exams, the education system is constraining the type of student that they are manufacturing into the world. When in fact, the leading world is not all composed of great test-takers.