Are Exams Fair? A Member Confronts The Hellish Possibility That Exams Are The Only Way To Go

We posed the eternal question to our members. Here’s our favourite response.

Unlike the fictional world of J’amie and High School Musical, the teens who dominate school halls in real life are members of the international “Team No Sleep”, with their trademark baggy eyes and messy bookwork (due to falling asleep while note-taking).

This species is most frequently spotted at the library from week four of the school term, studying intensely for the upcoming two-hour blocks of torture.

Yes, I’m talking about exams, which as we can pretty much all agree on are inherently unfair in their nature. You go to classes for six weeks and try to let the material soak in. At the end of the term, you sit in a huge hall with three hundred of your peers, faced with a gigantic clock meant only to inform you of how many minutes are left until your impending doom.

You launch into your paragraph response, making sure to use big words like “Machiavellian” and “orchestrated”. You’re feeling quite pleased with yourself - but then you look up. Oh. No. I spent twelve minutes on that?!

Frantically, you move onto the next question, originally semi-decent handwriting evolving into an almost illegible scrawl. Before you know it, you hear the dreaded “pen’s down” from the supervisor. Congratulations, it’s all over… but you wish it wasn’t.

You could have written in much greater depth - really showcased all that study - but the time constraints were just too much. There’s no feeling worse than: “If I could just go back, I know I would do better.”

In the eyes of curriculum writers and head of departments everywhere, it’s pretty easy to see the appeal here. Exams are the most efficient way to test a student’s ability. You teach for a few weeks, hand the students a paper, put a few ticks on it, then moderate and cross mark between your colleagues.

As for the pain exams bring to students? “It’s like ripping off a band aid,” they argue.

But it’s been a long time since their last exam; maybe twenty or even thirty years. The empathy gap is definitely present.

Exam culture really takes away from what a rewarding experience learning could be. I can almost see you rolling your eyes now, but think about it: How different would you feel about your school subjects if you weren’t constantly asking yourself, “Is this going to be on the test?”

Realistically, exams probably aren’t going to go away anytime soon. Believe it or not, there actually are some advantages in having exams. Teachers are more likely to set homework and compile revision sheets because of them, which should be helpful in preparing you to do your very best.

For the most undisciplined of us (myself included), you also don’t have to set your own deadlines as you would have to with assignments (usually leading to a mad rush the night before).

Just remember: Though it’s important to make the most out of exams, you shouldn’t let your grades define you.

Congratulations to Chanel for winning this writing challenge, answering: Are Exams Fair? Chanel wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: Netflix.