An exam is defined as an assessment intended to test a learner’s ability, skills or aptitude. Exams are administered in different ways; verbally, in a paper or in an area where the learner is required to exhibit certain skills. A test might be administered by a parent to a child or by a teacher in a classroom to achieve a test score or grade. The test is graded using a previously established criterion (Kelleghan, Madaus and Airaisan, 2012). The criterion may be established by analyzing a large number of participants or independently. There are two types of test standardized and non-standardized tests.
Standardized test require all learners to take same questions and the test scores achieved using the same criterion (Kelleghan, Madaus and Airaisan, 2012). These tests are used in professional certification and education. A non-standardized test is more flexible and varies in difficulty; it is used to determine proficiency, motivate learners and provide feedback to students. It is a common belief that exams are used to test students’ abilities but do they accurately and fairly test a student’s ability. Exams are not an efficient way to test students’ abilities but rather a test of memory more that creativity and real understanding. The essay will focus on providing evidence for the argument stated above.
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The microscopic nature of exams does not reflect how learners use their intelligence outside the class environment. Measuring an individual’s intelligence through exams is an inadequate way of determining their capabilities. The system of public examination is meant to sieve and separate the more intelligent students from the less intelligent ones. Intelligence is defined as the ability to understand quickly and apply the knowledge to a higher level (Mackintosh, 2011). The definition of the word intelligence itself should make us question the public examinations systems. As stated earlier most exams are a test of memory rather than understanding. How then do you define a student who passes an exam as intelligent yet intelligence requires understanding rather than memorizing. Most memorized content is forgotten within a short time; this means that these students forget what they read after the exams and therefore cannot apply the knowledge in real life. The exams system expects students to give consistent and appropriate answers; this leaves very little room for innovation and creativity (Mackintosh, 2011). Many intelligent people are slow thinkers; this is probably the reason why a physicist like Einstein flunked school but succeeded in the outside world. The world is not short of extremely successful individuals who did not do well in school but excelled in the outside world. Jack Ma the founder of Alibaba, which is one of the biggest companies in the world, failed middle school and was rejected by Harvard ten times for not being intelligent enough.
The pressure associated with exams causes underperformance and psychological problems. Most students are practically afraid of exams due to the pressure associated with it (Mackintosh 2011). The society, teachers and parents exert the pressure. The society considers people who fail exams as ‘not intelligent’ students will therefore try to fulfill these expectations. Parents are always pressuring their kids to pass exams and get degrees, in their quest to achieve this they always fail to realize their kids’ talents. These pressure causes many good students to underperform; most students respond by studying harder but blindly which means less returns. The stress resulting from this pressure causes physical and mental exhaustion. By the time the student gets to the exam room they cannot even remember what they studies since they read with the intention of memorizing. Most researches conducted indicate that pressure causes mental illnesses and thoughts of self-harm (Kelleghan, Madaus and Airaisan, 2012) . Students are expected to entrance exams before they proceed to each level of schooling, these exams have become a rite of passage for every student. Failure to pass these exams means that a student has failed to complete these rite and is inferior to peers who passed the exams. Such expectations imposed on the students has resulted to suicides among the students regarded as ‘inferior’. It is unfortunate that not even the deaths or institutionalization of students at mental institutions has caused change in the public examination systems.
Many exams systems are flawed and therefore are not an accurate measure of an individual’s abilities or intelligence (Mackintosh, 2011). These flawed exams defeat many good students who are misunderstood as not being intelligent. Flawed university or college exams do not prepare the student for their respective professions therefore releasing unprepared professionals to the workforce. Most teachers teach for the test rather than provide broader education. The students could therefore not apply what they are taught in real life. The time spent in school is less than that spent living out there; it is therefore vital that the exam systems produces all-round individuals, who can adapt to life, be problem solvers and quick thinkers. The flaws in exams do not clearly indicate if a student has acquired certain knowledge and can utilize it in the real world. A clear indication of the flaws in the education system is the fact that most students cheat in examinations. The ones who cheat will pass these exams and will be regarded as intelligent while those who fail will be regarded as failures.
In summation, the paper has successfully established that exams are not an accurate measure of a student’s abilities or intelligence. Some of the points highlighted include the fact that the nature of exams does not reflect how individuals use their intelligence in the real world. Intelligence is defined as the ability to understand quickly and apply the knowledge to a higher level. The definition of the word intelligence itself should make us question the public examinations systems. The flaws in the exam system make it difficult to measure or determine a student’s ability or intelligence. Some of these flaws include cheating and the exam-setting criterion. The pressure associated with exams causes psychological issues, physical exhaustion and mental illnesses. These problems consequently cause underperformance. The stress before exams and the disappointment after results is the cause of many suicides among students.
References
T. Kelleghan, Madaus, F. G. and Airasian, P. W. (2012). The Effects of Standardized Testing. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.
Mackintosh, J. N. (2011). IQ and Human Intelligence. London. OUP Oxford.
