The Student Room Group

Should Exams have extra time?

People with certain difficulties are allowed extra time in exams to compensate for this disadvantage. But should it be the case?

Aren't exams meant to test your ability to perform a certain task within a certain time?

Currently, an A* student with no disabilities would perform better than an A* student with disabilities. Isn't this misleading to employers/universities who require a high standard?

And why aren't less intelligent people allowed extra time? It's not their fault just like ADHD isn't their fault...

Or maybe I'm just being an ableist Nazi.

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I've thought about this too...

My mum works with SEN kids and she's an invigilator for the ones who have to sit papers outside of the hall, because they need extra time. I do think they should have extra time, because it's only fair that they're able to achieve some sort of qualification. A lot of the students that my mother works with are unable to reach a grade higher than U in Maths and English.

However, how do they determine how much extra time should be awarded? Is it done by the severity of their disability?

But, regarding your point about less intelligent people perhaps needing the same degree of extra help: those who are less intelligent are capable of pushing themselves in order to improve their intelligence, even if they aren't as naturally clever as others. Many SEN kids are simply unable to grasp a concept, regardless of how many times it is taught to them. It might take weeks for someone with a learning disability to learn grid multiplication.
Original post by DarthRoar
People with certain difficulties are allowed extra time in exams to compensate for this disadvantage. But should it be the case?

Aren't exams meant to test your ability to perform a certain task within a certain time?

Currently, an A* student with no disabilities would perform better than an A* student with disabilities. Isn't this misleading to employers/universities who require a high standard?

And why aren't less intelligent people allowed extra time? It's not their fault just like ADHD isn't their fault...

Or maybe I'm just being an ableist Nazi.


Why do we even have exams?

It's such an unfair and pathetic way to control one's entire future.
(edited 6 years ago)
I use extra time for some subjects. I know all the stuff but I'm unable to write it all down in time. I am given 25% extra time.
If I don't know the information I won't need the extra time because I have nothing to write.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by DarthRoar
People with certain difficulties are allowed extra time in exams to compensate for this disadvantage. But should it be the case?

Aren't exams meant to test your ability to perform a certain task within a certain time?

Currently, an A* student with no disabilities would perform better than an A* student with disabilities. Isn't this misleading to employers/universities who require a high standard?

And why aren't less intelligent people allowed extra time? It's not their fault just like ADHD isn't their fault...

Or maybe I'm just being an ableist Nazi.
Let's see what @feministy thinks/

I'd say it's swings and roundabouts. I'm (supposedly) very intelligent but dyslexic, and often got allowed extra time in uni. I seldom actually needed it, especially in case where I was allowed to type my answers rather than write by hand.

The issue with exams is that they don't accurately represent real-world problem-solving, so this question's pretty moot anyway.
I don't really see why there should be an issue with extra time. Yes, in an ideal world people would be tested by a non exam means, but within the current system extra time at least partially levels the playing field, which is no bad thing.

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Original post by DarthRoar
People with certain difficulties are allowed extra time in exams to compensate for this disadvantage. But should it be the case?

Aren't exams meant to test your ability to perform a certain task within a certain time?

Currently, an A* student with no disabilities would perform better than an A* student with disabilities. Isn't this misleading to employers/universities who require a high standard?

And why aren't less intelligent people allowed extra time? It's not their fault just like ADHD isn't their fault...

Or maybe I'm just being an ableist Nazi.


This is an excellent question and yes one in which you can be called horrible things just for raising. The extra time / time out brakes / readers / scribes etc is one of those things that has ballooned enormously over the last 20 years. While there is no doubt students have extra needs there is a lot f gaming going on even more so in affluent areas because the can afford to have all the tests done.

I especially like your point about employees have an expectation that when they see two people with a B in maths that they have done it under equal conditions.

Imagine a scenario with two people. Person A has ADD and gets 50% more time in exams. Person B just has a low IQ and gets no extra time. Both are genetic dispositions so why would you give one extra time and not the other?
I don't get the issue at all. I read slowly due to having poor vision. I have Autism, which in my case affects how I understand language, which coupled with being a slow reader, makes doing exams pretty difficult. I am also entitled to rest breaks because what I have, also causes chronic tiredness. (and exam papers on coloured paper because white is horrible to read off)

We're not at an advantage. You don't get extra time just because you have a diagnosis.
Original post by Tiger Rag
I don't get the issue at all. I read slowly due to having poor vision. I have Autism, which in my case affects how I understand language, which coupled with being a slow reader, makes doing exams pretty difficult. I am also entitled to rest breaks because what I have, also causes chronic tiredness. (and exam papers on coloured paper because white is horrible to read off)

We're not at an advantage. You don't get extra time just because you have a diagnosis.



Why should someone who has a certain condition get extra time vs someone who just has a low IQ and finds things difficult in general?
I have no problem with different coloured paper or using a reader if you have poor vision. But things like extra time or rest brakes just seem a little unfair to me. Though I fully accept I don't have a full understanding of this topic and can be persuaded otherwise.
Original post by Mozart_Wolfgang
Why should someone who has a certain condition get extra time vs someone who just has a low IQ and finds things difficult in general?
I have no problem with different coloured paper or using a reader if you have poor vision. But things like extra time or rest brakes just seem a little unfair to me. Though I fully accept I don't have a full understanding of this topic and can be persuaded otherwise.


I think that just shows what disabilities are more and less visible. It's easier to understand that someone has poor vision and can't see the exam paper... it's harder to understand a chronic pain condition or panic attack which gives them rest breaks. I've debated extra time myself but I would generally fall on the side that it levels the playing field in a way I think most people would want. If people are unable to understand things they generally won't use much extra time because if they don't know they can't answer - having an extra few minutes doesn't help. People who use extra time do so because there is a genuine reason why they fill the exam paper out more slowly, their knowledge is there and so is the ability. It doesn't give an unclear view of their ability because universities and employers are required to make accommodations for those with disabilities as well. In my experience for the most part people who get accommodations are still at a disadvantage compared to those who don't need them...
Original post by Mozart_Wolfgang
Why should someone who has a certain condition get extra time vs someone who just has a low IQ and finds things difficult in general?
I have no problem with different coloured paper or using a reader if you have poor vision. But things like extra time or rest brakes just seem a little unfair to me. Though I fully accept I don't have a full understanding of this topic and can be persuaded otherwise.


Extra time and rest breaks are a reasonable adjustment.

I need the extra time because I would only get half the paper done on a good day. How is that fair? I am at a disadvantage and the extra time plus rest breaks puts me on a level playing field.

It takes me at least double the time (even with large print papers) to read something than it does a non-disabled person.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by DarthRoar
People with certain difficulties are allowed extra time in exams to compensate for this disadvantage. But should it be the case?

Aren't exams meant to test your ability to perform a certain task within a certain time?

Currently, an A* student with no disabilities would perform better than an A* student with disabilities. Isn't this misleading to employers/universities who require a high standard?

And why aren't less intelligent people allowed extra time? It's not their fault just like ADHD isn't their fault...

Or maybe I'm just being an ableist Nazi.


The trouble today is that nobody is allowed to fail - the Snowflake society has to be nurtured and given special time.

My son - apparently - had special needs - still not sure why - he was given extra time in exams - I was not consulted about this. It made him complacent ( he is a physics teacher now - and a damn good one) I am afraid life does not make allowances. There will always be less intelligent people around - that is the way things work - if we were all equally intelligent then our lives would be unbearable.
Original post by squeakysquirrel
The trouble today is that nobody is allowed to fail - the Snowflake society has to be nurtured and given special time.

My son - apparently - had special needs - still not sure why - he was given extra time in exams - I was not consulted about this. It made him complacent ( he is a physics teacher now - and a damn good one) I am afraid life does not make allowances. There will always be less intelligent people around - that is the way things work - if we were all equally intelligent then our lives would be unbearable.


Except life does make allowances - look up the Equalities Act 2010.
I don't have extra time, but I do use a word processor and have rest breaks because I have chronic pain and a particular pain disorder affecting my wrists, which makes writing and typing extremely painful. I used to take painkillers before exams, but they screw with my concentration and don't usually last for the full length of the exam. I actually ended up crying in some of my GCSE exams because my wrist hurt so much from writing.

I have friends who get extra time. I think it's completely fair- if they don't have the knowledge, then they don't use the time. It's as simple as that.

I've also heard of people who are ill (more than just a cold) during exams getting rest breaks. Would you deem this unfair? If they have the knowledge but their ability to complete the exam is impaired in some way, then the access arrangements simply make it fair.
Original post by doodle_333
having an extra few minutes doesn't help..


While I do take your point on board that some disabilities are much less visually obvious than others.

I would disagree with this quite strongly, especially in my area of maths maybe I can't be sure in other subjects. Although I'm ok at maths having an extra 25-50% would make a significant difference to my score. I've also watched students take resit exams and very few completely finish.

Original post by Tiger Rag
Extra time and rest breaks are a reasonable adjustment.

I need the extra time because I would only get half the paper done on a good day. How is that fair? I am at a disadvantage and the extra time plus rest breaks puts me on a level playing field.

It takes me at least double the time (even with large print papers) to read something than it does a non-disabled person.


Why would you not have a reader instead of extra time?
Anyway lets say a person says it takes them twice as long mentally calculate something as other people so they should get extra time in their maths exam. Would that be fair? It doesn't seem any different to giving someone extra time in an exam that's testing reading comprehension.

I guess for me what this comes down to what is the purpose of the exam and what is it trying to measure.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by PotassiumIodide3
I don't have extra time, but I do use a word processor and have rest breaks because I have chronic pain and a particular pain disorder affecting my wrists, which makes writing and typing extremely painful. I used to take painkillers before exams, but they screw with my concentration and don't usually last for the full length of the exam. I actually ended up crying in some of my GCSE exams because my wrist hurt so much from writing.

I have friends who get extra time. I think it's completely fair- if they don't have the knowledge, then they don't use the time. It's as simple as that.
.


Why would you not have a scribe?

"if they don't have the knowledge, then they don't use the time" I think is simply empirically false - at least in maths. Look at the non-calc paper, you only get 1h 15m. I know students who have not learnt their times tables by heart. As a result if they had to do something 9*12 they would write out: 9,18,27,36,45,54,63,72,81,90,99,108. Doing this many times during an exam is obviously way more time consuming. As a result they often leave the last few questions blank or are very rushed.
(edited 6 years ago)
I have a grandson at college. He has some developmental delay owing to birth defects and has other issues. He has a computer for his exams, a reader and extra time. I think this is fair enough because it puts him on a level playing field with his fellow students.
I'm at uni and have 15 mins extra time and in a room with a small group of people. And I have dyspraxia so have a sticker on assignments and sticker on exam paper for marking guidelines. It's got bugger all to do with being a 'snowflake'. As someone said, read the Equality Act. And this subject has been done to death here before. I don't see why people have a problem with it.
Original post by Mozart_Wolfgang
Why would you not have a scribe?

"if they don't have the knowledge, then they don't use the time" I think is simply empirically false - at least in maths. Look at the non-calc paper, you only get 1h 15m. I know students who have not learnt their times tables by heart. As a result if they had to do something 9*12 they would write out: 9,18,27,36,45,54,63,72,81,90,99,108. Doing this many times during an exam is obviously way more time consuming.


I don't have a scribe because my sixth form is **** and doesn't offer them.

I hadn't actually considered Maths. I definitely do agree that it would be possibly for them to do that in Maths, but in other subjects where you can't just figure it out (such as quotations for English and key dates for History), lacking the knowledge would stop them from using all of the time, just as someone who hasn't revised would probably finish an exam about half an hour early.
Sometimes I wonder whether people who complain about this are generally just pretty average, upset about being upstaged by people they see as inferior and angry that some of their colleagues get more help than them, but due to their inherent averageness haven't taken the time to consider just why it is the case.

Exams are such that everybody has the potential to get full marks. It's a test of how well you know the facts, and how experienced you are in tackling the problems. Both of these, along with good marks, come with preparation. Someone who 'struggles' but doesn't qualify for extra time is a person who doesn't work hard enough. For a lot of reasons, no doubt: lack of personal motivation, (critically) lack of parental incentive, lack of understanding why a thing is important. None of these are disabilities, they are attitudes parents have permitted to persist.
Those with qualifying disabilities are people who, no matter how well they know the material and how experienced they are with tackling the problems associated with the material, could not either read the questions in sufficient time or could not get their answers down in sufficient time.

Extra time is something that helps those who can not do a thing. It's not there to help those who, for one reason or another (irrespective of who's at fault), will not.
Well I have an anxiety disorder and can panic and run out of time etc or make mistakes that are not reflective of my abilities.

So I get rest breaks and extra time. Potential employers are not hurt by this as in a work place I am unlikely to have the same level of anxiety as an exam. I suppose I'd be unfit for the military but I already got rejected because of the autism and anxiety from military anyway.

As others have said if I don't know it I can't write it. Extra time won't give me enough time to solve something if I have not learned it. And rest breaks I am escorted out the room for so I can't use these for an unfair advantage etc.

I think we should just have a system where we allow everyone unlimited time they just leave when they are ready to go. It's meant to be a test of knowledge not speed.