Although, exams have been around for ages, there is a growing tendency for children to be tested through regular assessment instead. Examinations conducted in the traditional way are the most reliable method of testing a child's knowledge level, however, there are some drawbacks to this as well.
On the one hand, exams provide the best method to analyse the knowledge and skills of students. In other words, these are conducted in a controlled environment providing an equal and fair chance to everyone to succeed. Since, the question papers are set and reviewed by experts, who are experienced in formulating them, the ability and skills of students can be adequately tested in the most efficient manner. Furthermore, such a way of conducting testing, provides the ideal assessment of students at a national level, consequently, it can be used to set standards and compare students for admissions to colleges and universities nationally.
On the other hand, one time examinations do not provide a fair method of testing a student’s ability. For instance, it is commonly accepted that this kind of testing results in excessive build up of stress and anxiety, thus, people cannot perform at their best under such conditions, and therefore, it is unfair to test someone when they are not performing at their best. Another point to consider, is that research has shown that there are other better methods of assessing skills and retention such as continuous testing at regular intervals for smaller segments of the syllabus, which has been found to be much more efficient and students have been noted to get higher grades and excel academically.
In conclusion, exams have many advantages when it comes to assessing students, however, it also puts them under undue stress and might not be the best indicator of their knowledge and skills.
Although, exams have been around for ages, there is a growing tendency for children to be
tested
through regular assessment
instead
. Examinations conducted in the traditional way are the most reliable
method
of
testing
a child's knowledge level,
however
, there are
some
drawbacks to this
as well
.
On the one hand, exams provide the
best
method
to
analyse
the knowledge and
skills
of
students
.
In other words
, these
are conducted
in a controlled environment providing an equal and
fair
chance to everyone to succeed. Since, the question papers
are set
and reviewed by experts, who
are experienced
in formulating them, the ability and
skills
of
students
can be
adequately
tested
in the most efficient manner.
Furthermore
, such a way of conducting
testing
, provides the ideal assessment of
students
at a national level,
consequently
, it can be
used
to set standards and compare
students
for admissions to colleges and universities
nationally
.
On the other hand
, one time examinations do not provide a
fair
method
of
testing
a
student’s
ability.
For instance
, it is
commonly
accepted
that this kind of
testing
results in excessive build up of
stress
and anxiety,
thus
,
people
cannot perform at their
best
under such conditions, and
therefore
, it is unfair to
test
someone when they are not performing at their
best
. Another point to consider, is that research has shown that there are other better
methods
of assessing
skills
and retention such as continuous
testing
at regular intervals for smaller segments of the syllabus, which has
been found
to be much more efficient and
students
have
been noted
to
get
higher grades and excel
academically
.
In conclusion
, exams have
many
advantages when it
comes
to assessing
students
,
however
, it
also
puts them under undue
stress
and might not be the
best
indicator of their knowledge and
skills
.