Exams are necessary because they facilitate in determining the suitability of candidates in undertaking certain tasks, for instance before a medical student can graduate and perform his duties as a doctor, he has to undertake various exams to make sure that he can handle the responsibilities (Brookfield, S. D., & Preskill, S., 48). Exams are the only means that can be used because they clearly show the level of understanding the incumbents have. A field like medicine is very sensitive because people’s lives are at the mercy of doctors and thorough scrutiny is a requirement in determining the competency of would- be doctors. Those that do not meet certain standards are eliminated to only give room to the very qualified.
Certification is enabled by use of exams. Educational certificates are issued as proof of participation in exams and trainings. They are used by employers or other organizations as testimonials before being considered for jobs or for other responsibilities. Certificates are important because they still provide proof of having been trained even after many years have elapsed. Without exams there would be no basis of certification.
There are different levels of education depending on the time spent in a particular institution for example certificate level, diploma ,degree ,masters and even doctorate levels. For one to move from one level to another, he or she has to sit exams so that depending on how they perform the examiners can determine their eligibility of going to the other level. Exams are therefore indispensable in awarding distinctions using the elimination method without which there would be disorganization in the education sector.
Motivation is an important factor in any field because it determines the kind of dedication one would be willing to put in any task or undertaking. Exams pretty much act as a motivational tool because in some cases prizes are given to the best performer. Good performance more often than not determines the quality of institution one is invited to. Just to elaborate on this, to be admitted to Harvard University or Cambridge, one has to have excellent marks academically. It would only take the use of exams to determine who would be smart enough to join the prestigious institutions. Better still exams are good because they are a way of giving credit where it is due. For instance there are students who are very serious at what they do and are very diligent in their studies while on the other hand there are those that are lousy and do not give their best. This is evident when the results are out. The hardworking student secures a good position in class which is a form of reward by itself. These exams are also an indicator of where an individual student is at and what needs are supposed to be addressed by his or her instructor.
Exams on a larger scale are useful for the authorities governing the education sector (Richardson, Frank C., 65). Depending on the performance of students the authorities make plans and are able to determine where best to allocate resources like stationery, books and teachers. The most suitable curriculum is also arrived at or modified based on the students’ performance (Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A., 118).
The policy makers use the data to bridge disparities that exist in schools by virtue of location. In most cases public schools in the rural areas do not have the same resources as those in urban and peri-urban areas that have good infrastructure. Most parents in the latter kind of setting are more economically empowered and can afford extra learning materials for their children, thus increasing their potential. These policy makers strive to achieve equity amongst institutions.
Exams are crucial in determining the efficacy of a school. With students performing well a school gains credibility and stakeholders like parents and boards of governors not only get the confidence that their children are in able and competent hands, but are also guaranteed of good value for their money. Teachers are also screened using the same tests where if students do well, it is deemed that they are competent and observe professionalism.
Exams are used to check how much we know about a certain subject or field (Brookfield, S. D., & Preskill, S., 37). A lecturer will want to establish whether his student has understood what he has been learning. The level of concentration is another factor that can be investigated.
As much as they are important the candidate is subjected to a lot of stress because he or she has to read thoroughly from a wide topic and only a small fraction of what one reads features in the exams.
Doing away with exams would be detrimental because even half-baked people, as far as education and training are concerned, would be accepted in places of work leading to poor services and low quality products. Fields such as aviation and navigation would be courses that are out rightly dangerous because without assessing the levels of understanding the students have, they would be let to fly or navigate without clear knowledge and endanger people’s lives.
According to Howard C. G & Maxwell, S.E., 19, exams are a must have for every institution because they act a tool to measure how effective the method of teaching is by the results gotten by the students.
Conclusion
Exams are an age old practice in almost all institutions of learning. They have and are still used as an effective tool of measuring what has been learned by individual students. Exams are the one proven method of gauging whether there is retention of what is learned and are also used to tell whether the student is progressing positively at every stage of learning. Exams are necessary because they determine the effectiveness of a school administration and teaching methods. Institutions, whose students have been performing well in exams, are successful and have gained credibility. This paper opines that exams should be retained at all levels of learning.
Works Cited:
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Horward G.S. Conway, C.G and Maxwell, S.E. Contrust validity of measures of college
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Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A. Cooperative learning returns to college.
Change, vol. 30. (1998).
Richardson, Frank C. Coping With Exam Anxiety. Editor. Arlene Young. Athabasca,
Alberta: Athabasca University, 1990.
