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Have your say: Are exams rubbish?

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Reply 20

MrMusician95

Original post by Proportionality

That's true. At least with STEM it is still totally worth it for the most part.

It's worth it but doesn't make exams useful lol.

Reply 21

Proportionality

Original post by MrMusician95

It's worth it but doesn't make exams useful lol.

Yeah exams are still pretty pointless since heavily favours those with strong long term memory rather than just the most 'intelligent'

Reply 22

AnayaS101

It really depends on what people want to become. I expect, to become a good doctor it would be necessary to know a few key characteristic of certain diseases and things in the case of someone becoming suddenly ill. However for other careers the ability to immediately recall facts is nowhere near as significant. Yet by treating all students the same with exams that test mainly memory, the government cannot in any way have fair understanding of a students' capacity to learn, adapt, communicate etc. However,, it is for this reason that its incredibly important that students have other skills too as most companies recognise that exams and grades are not everything. Instead I think its the pressue put on students to do well in exams that truly is rubbish as it gives exams unnecessary value when not every student wants to go down the same path. They may want to take over a family business or want a career that needs more soft skills than memorisation and to judge all students on memorisation is unfair.

Reply 23

The RAR

Apart from maybe becoming a doctor I seriously fail to see how exams prepare you for life, from what I have seen, it's mostly work experience, skills and common sense which are needed out here. How does memorising a bunch of facts, recalling them in just one day and forget all of them the next day help you exactly? I don't think exams as a whole are rubbish, but they do need reforms. They should put more emphasis on the understanding of content rather than exam technique and specific sentencing and keyword memorisation. Again apart from a doctor, which jobs requires you to memorise that much and recall it pretty quickly?
I am pretty sure for those who do not want to go into Medicine, people are simply doing these exams for letters on a piece of paper, they don't actually care about the content being taught to them. Oh well that's life I guess

Reply 24

Golden State

Absolutely, because they teach students to regurgitate information and rely on rote learning, so by the time people leave school they forget most of what they had learned in the first place. When you learn by taking smaller tests, over a consistent period of time rather than cramming at the last minute, like a lot of students do, you're actually more likely to retain the information.

A better system would be to have smaller class tests, and online tests, which would reward those that have done poorly at the start, and are willing to work hard to improve their grades. Another way of improving things would be to have bonus tests, extra credit options, etc. Also take home exams / tests could provide a more complementary means of learning, and evaluating students. Thus, a more blended approach towards testing would be a better and fairer evaluator of a student's academic abilities.

Reply 25

RedGiant

Yeah, they are.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 26

AAR1

Original post by RedGiant

You might want to change the typo in the article lmao, it's a bit embarrassing considering it's featured in today on TSR.

No, no, i'm sure we all like to sit back and think about tit.

Reply 27

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by The Learn Ranger

Here's where you can post a comment about our Are exams rubbish? article.

Read the full Are exams rubbish? article and join in the discussion by posting a message below.

I like discussions in this way! I personally think that exams are just a snapshot in time, so exams have just a meaning for the moment in which they are doing, after that it does not at all! it does not say something about the abilities, skills and the intelligence of people. The facts which were counted are rather an evidence for people who are able (or not able) to cope with exam situations.

I am not quite good in such situations to get good results, that changed my results before exams for worse. A silly question I am struggling, bad days on exams day or being nervous ruin a result so easily in my opinion.

Exams are pointless.

Original post by MrMusician95

What if someone was very intelligent but couldn't test well.

So you’re saying I might not actually be dumb? :eek:

Reply 30

tashkent46

They are not fit for purpose. They measure how good you are at taking exams. It makes no sense to base an entire years work off a tiny essay written in a few hours, everyone has bad days and everyone has good days; it is no indication of average performance. Examiners look for answers that go with the mark scheme, handwriting is penalised, all kinds of silly things that are no indication as to the quality of a student's knowledge.

The question is: Why do we have exams? What are they measuring?

Intelligence? Then how come so many stupid people do well at them. Is it because they read the scheme and parrot the information back?

Exams penalise poor students who don't get the same opportunities. Not once did my tutors talk me through the mark schemes etc in school and yet that is clearly what is important. It's like giving someone a job spec and then when they get on the job expecting them to do something else entirely and then giving them a low mark for it.

It really is a joke.

Reply 31

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by MrMusician95

Exams are a pile of poop. One of my lecturers at uni knew this and because he was forced to give us an exam he literally spelled out the questions on our "revision class". Most exams are just a memory test.

That is the part of exams I hate. In terms of memorising knowledge, it would make more sense to think in the student's own way and maybe to make new conclusions. In general, there are too little test and exam paper like this.

Reply 32

cuber314159

"If I wanted to become an examiner; I would have joined the far right years ago" my english teacher, 2018

Reply 33

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by Paracosm

Exams are pointless.

For the rest of the life, indeed, it is pointless. But to get degrees and therefore jobs, exams are important. Just a moment of life, but it depends on so much.

Reply 34

RobertWilson01

For almost all the students, exams are rubbish. but now being a teacher i would say it is the best way how students can take their studies seriously and to test what they have learnt throughout the year.

Reply 35

DOOODARS

I personally think coursework is better as you can improve it over time, put in as much effort as you want and what you put in is what you get out. Exams is just cramming facts in your head and regurgitating it all out again, which if your stressed because of having to remember it all, you end up forgetting it all, repeating the cycle

Reply 36

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by RobertWilson01

I would agree with you, if students who gets a black-out or nervous in exams don't exist. And that influences a mark in an exam, as well as students who can't right everything what they know before time is up, as they are not so good and fast in handwriting.

Reply 37

cacaogirl1896

Original post by The Learn Ranger

Here's where you can post a comment about our Are exams rubbish? article.

Read the full Are exams rubbish? article and join in the discussion by posting a message below.

At this point, I think exams aren't testing you on you ability to learn, but on your ability to memorise. That works for some people, but others have trouble memorising and then get branded as stupid for the rest of their lives.