Essay on “Examinations” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Examinations

Examinations are very important. The judge ability, skills, aptitude, power of judgment and thinking of the concerned examinees. Success in life and career more or less depends on the success in the examinations. Our schools, colleges, and universities impart training and education, then cams, diplomas and degrees to the successful candidates award certificate From the beginning to the end there is a series of tests and examinations. Life itself is a series of ordeals and test. Thus, examinations are unavoidable. They a proof of a student’s progress, ability and achievement in the subjects he or she is learning. They are the only means by which it can be decided whether a trainee or a student deserves to be promoted to the next higher class or not.

Examinations urge and inspire students to study hard. It is because of these tests and examinations that students are serious, regular and punctual in studies. It creates a sense of discipline and a desire to fair better and score better than others in the examination. A healthy competition is there because of these tests. But are these examinations a sure test of one’s merit and academic achievements? Are these examinations not outdated methods of testing a student’ s ability and skills? Do they not place too much premium on cramming, mechanical memory and elements of chance? Do they not encourage mere bookish knowledge and learning? Are these tests objective? Is there no subjective element in the assessment and evaluation of answer-books? Can you really judge a student’s worth just in three hours by asking him or her to answer a-set of 57 questions? These are very important questions and need to be answered.

The prevailing system of examinations has outlived its utility and there is an urgent need of reform. It is because of these serious defects that students community has revolted now and then against the present rotten system of tests and examinations. For them examinations have really become a nightmare. They feel frustrated and cheated because of the prevailing defective system of examinations. A student may not be physically well, he may be mentally upset because of one reason or another at the time of examination. He may get nervous and so may not fair well. What purpose mere cramming and learning by rote does serve? Students forget what they have thus learned as soon as the examinations are over. Then the examiner has no objective and set standards to judge and evaluate answer-books. He is guided by his own moods, whims, bent of mind and prejudices. Wide disparities have been found in the assessment of the same answer-book. Mr. A may judge a particular answer as excellent while Mr. B may find it just average, and Mr. C not of any worth at all. Thus, the standards of evaluation and judgment are very subjective and differ from one examiner to another. Sometimes they are as different in their evaluation of the same answer as antipodes. The failure in the examinations discourages and disheartens intelligent and hardworking students. They develop repulsion for tests and so the students seek ‘short cuts to get through them. They resort to selective study, depend upon guess papers and cheap market notes. The fear of examinations makes many a student dishonest and shirker. He may try to copy out his answer or threaten an invigilator if checked in doing so. Students of affluent sections sometimes try to influence the examiners by greasing their palms. There are frequent complaints of dishonesty, biased evaluation and leaking of examination papers against the examiners and paper-setters. Then there are other pressures and dishonest means which are being used to influence the result of the examinations. All the ideals are lost in such a whirlpool of examinations and tests. That is why our colleges, universities and other institutions of learning are producing like factories degree and diploma-holders in bulk who are not educated in real sense of the terms. They just manage to get through the examinations and get a degree as a passport to the realm of service and employment. What Charles Colton once said is very appropriate in the present context. He commented, “Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest candidate can answer”.

The problem is really serious and must be solved as early as possible. Therefore, some fool-proof and objective system of examinations should be evolved. We cannot completely do away with the concept and practice of examination. If examinations are abolished there might prevail chaos. Then the students will loose interest in work and studies. There would be no progress at all. They would become more indisciplined and lose the spirit of healthy competition. What is needed is the suitable reform in the system of examinations. Examinations are necessary, but we should see that they do not remain any more a necessary evil. There should be more and more objective type and short answer questions. Instead of one final examination at the end of the academic year, there should be regular short tests. And periodical record of progress and achievement should be relied upon in evaluating a student.

Examination means all round development of a student, Therefore extra-curricular activities should be given due weight age. There should be personal and personality tests as well and a student’s character should be given a due consideration. Subjective and chance elements should be eliminated from the system of examination. There should be no mass examinations and mass evaluations. These should be replaced by personal and group tests. The over-emphasis on external and final examinations has made the whole system lop-sided. This encourages examinees to pass the examination by fair means or foul. The system of examinations should be reformed in such a way as to do away with what is called `examination fever’. Cramming and mugging should be discouraged and periodical progress of a student should be evaluated. The internal assessment must be there at all levels of examinations. The subject teacher must have his say in the final examination. The whole examination system should be transformed and humanised to make it interesting, inspiring and objective in evaluation. The students can be saved from the tyranny of examinations by making suitable changes in the system so as to make it more scientific, realistic and objective in judging students’ real worth and performance.

Some desired steps have been taken to reform the system of examinations in some of the Indian universities. They include constant watch of a student’s progress, semester system, question banks, revaluation of answer-books and internal assessment by subject teachers and their say in the final university examination. Now, students are allowed more than one chance to pass papers without detaining them in the same class. But more such other reforms are needed. The requirement of university degree for a government job should also be done away with. It would help remove overcrowding in colleges.