Honestly, I’ve always had a mixed appreciation for exams. On the one hand, I tend to do pretty well in tests. I have the kind of mind that can usually rationalize out a problem in a logical (although not always correct) way that will get me at least partial grades from my profs. Very useful.
On the other hand… what do exams really do? They don’t test retention of knowledge, or ability to process knowledge… they sort of test how much you know about a topic at this moment which, I suppose, is about the best you can hope for? Maybe school would be better if the emphasis was less on “did you learn this fact temporarily” and more on “can you use or understand whatever it is you learnt two, three, or seven years down the road.”
Of course, determining if that’s true or not… totally different issue. But the whole school-bribing scandal from a few years back shows that it doesn’t matter what your grades are (at all), nor does it determine if you will be good at a job or not. Many people paid to get into a school that nominally didn’t deserve to be there, but they ended up doing just as well (or better) than the students who “earned” their spots.
I don’t know. But I am happy that this is my last exam of the semester, and my last exam for a few months at least. My brain can use the rest from the usual school stuff for a bit.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!