Quote by fireflywishesI
don't think that exams should be abolished... they just need to be changed. I know that many professors use scantron
exams because it makes them easier to grade, but multiple choice exams don't exactly test what a person knows--rather it
just tests their test taking abilities. I think that short answer/essay exams are a better way to gauge what a student
knows.
I actually do agree on your part, as I too find Scantrons quite aggrevating from time to time
[no offense, in my opinion]. With essays, you can truly provide the knowledge and understanding that you are compatible
with and in turn, jot down what you have developed thus far.
To me, examinations towards the public in general are not really a good way to tell how much you actually know quite
fairly, because in most cases when it comes to using study tactics in these exams, you are given the task to virtually
memorize nearly everything they specified would be on that sheet and there's no real limit as to how far you can really
go. What's even funnier is that after the exam is over, most people tend to forget what they crammed and studied into
their so-called brains - several hours, days, or even weeks from now. The general norm would then tend to drop the
subject right off the bat, never to apply it as such into their everyday lives. I'm not saying that it is the wrong
impression to provide examinations to everybody when the purpose doesn't always seem favorable, clear, or plenty likely
a benefit for all - it definitely needs some improvements in general overall, and tweaks in many examinations could make
it much more worthy of a test, rather than just pure memorization, really. Still, students must do their share at their
end, not just ease off in the excitement, as tests do provide good coverage and separates those who are willing to study
and who aren't willing at all. The bottom line is - if you don't want to study and procrasinate, you'll pay the price.
Sorry to say, but that holds the truth, as it always had done so in the past.
Other specific examinations in general should be flexible to deal with, rather than based on pure facts covered in
ivory-faced books all the time. In hindsight, examinations that are designed well rather than published under a hasty 5
page, 20-minute charade should constantly be promoted by the action of professors, the school board, and partly even the
students, not prevented. Especially towards university and college undergrads - you have paid a lot of money to learn
these things, and obviously no one ever wants to fail and retake the course over again because of a poorly designed
examination, you know. Should these examinations go underway, it should based on the criteria of one person's
understanding of the course in nature, and testing one's understanding of the material, rather than memorizing math
formulas for example and jotting down word-for-word literal references towards short answered questions and dealing with
tests that only hold pure stastical facts.
