Testing the Test: Importance of Exams

We all get a shiver thinking about any upcoming examination. When I appeared for my Masters’s after a gap of 15 years at the age of 35 I decided that this was the last formal exam that I would ever appear in the future. But guess what? After that too I appeared for several other exams that were needed for the growth of my career.

Why are these examinations important is a pertinent question in every student’s mind while they are preparing for their Board exams and internal exams. The first thing that comes to mind is that exams are excellent tools to assess what a student has learned. Exams tell the teacher which parts each student appears to have remembered or is interested in. Exams also give an opportunity to teachers to learn more about their students because each student is unique.

It is a universal fact that the most stressful situation for a student is the time of exams. Stress is not only about the studies but also about the expectation of their parents. The final weeks for the preparation of exams can be most anxious.

Examination…boon or curse?

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If exams have been given so much importance in the education system, they must have plenty of benefits and is a boon that needs to be looked at by the students.

How? Some common benefits of an examination:

• Exams are used to measure the strengths and shortcomings of the examined;
• Teachers can recognize where more class attention is required while teaching a specific subject.
• While checking the answer papers, a pattern of flaws may emerge. Mock exams are a wonderful method to utilize while teaching before formal examinations in this situation.
• Tests allow students and teachers to identify their deficiencies in time to prepare for the final exams and to use their full potential.
• As you become older, school gets more difficult. Exams help higher education institutions to determine if the students applying will be able to meet the job demands.
• Exams are the only way to track the development and efficacy of a class. Schools have to make sure that they are providing the finest education possible. Based on the student’s performance, teachers can determine where improvements are required within the school.
• As exams are the final step in the educational process, they offer an opportunity to succeed.
• Doing well in an exam gives you a sense of confidence and expertise.
• To complete exams successfully one requires time management and planning strategies.
• Students learn the lesson of patience, discipline, and leadership through exams.
• Exams help to recognize and introduce your skills.
• Exam develops thinking, and logic and helps in quick decision-making. 

How to overcome Examination Blues?

So students, now it is evident that exams are very helpful for any student for his/her career and future. Let us see how can we overcome the examination blues so that we get 100% benefit from examinations to improve our student life.

• Prepare well; When it comes to preparation for the exams, one needs to start early and cover the entire topic so that there is no need to cram it before the night of exams under a lot of pressure. If we start early from the regular schedule, we will get a lot of time to revise and clear all our doubts related to the different topics and chapters in our syllabus.
• When it comes to understanding a certain topic, we can make our study guide ourselves by making our notes. Thus, we can cover every single chapter and topic as the language will be way too easier to understand.
• While preparing for the final exams, we have numerous topics to cover and we have to understand them properly so we need to prioritize our time and make a proper timetable dedicated to the time we need to devote to our studies without compromising our mental as well as physical health.

In the final weeks before the examination, students often compromise their mental and physical health. They ignore proper diet and sleep. If we compromise our eating habits and sleep, it will have an ill effect on our studies leading to poor performance. So, no matter how busy you are in your schedule, you should also devote some time to your health.

According to studies, a “happier class obtains higher marks,” and “schooldays are the finest days of your life” is truly true. In every step of our lives, we face new situations and learn from them. Facing an examination helps to learn in a major way.

Author – Dr. Sangeeta Srivastava, Principal and Chief Academic Officer, Kandivli Education Society, Mumbai

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