I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.”’
– Benjamin Franklin
A final exam is a big test after finishing a course or a class. This is a testing item to check the items he has learned. This exam has various types of procedures and is held in many places especially eLearning platforms. In the following, we are going to talk about advantages and disadvantages of final exams.
Look at the table of contents you will read in this article:
- Advantages
- 1. Improves learner’s knowledge
- 2. Creates competition
- 3. Scholarships
- 4. Memory improvement
- DISADVANTAGES
- 1. Anxiety and stress
- 2. Not a good way of testing
- 3. Comparison among students
- 4. Reducing effectiveness
Advantages
1. Improves learner’s knowledge
When a learner takes the final exam, it is not just testing what he has had during the course, but maybe there are some new points in the exam. This will help him to learn some tips from a new point of view. Of course this is related to the creativity of the mentor to design a good final exam. In this case, the learner is able to broaden his knowledge when he is sitting the exam.
2. Creates competition
It is clear that by doing any exam even a final exam, everyone tries to show his best. So a competition is made among learners and this is really helpful to keep the challenge and most learners try hard to be the best in final exam and compete with others to get better scores.
3. Scholarships
Depending on the kind of final exam and the place that the learner is taking it, like international centers, there is a chance to have a special feature. If the learner has a great score, he is able to have a scholarship in a university that he wishes to apply for. So it will motivate the examinee to do his best in this testing system.
4. Memory improvement
It is a fact that exams are one of the best assessment tools to improve memory and enhance knowledge. Learners attend a course to learn different subjects and they need to review them for a final exam. Therefore, this is a useful opportunity for them to repeat and repeat what they have learned and finally it is a great practice for their memory.
DISADVANTAGES
1. Anxiety and stress
Usually, when the exam season arrives, it will bring stress and anxiety with itself. Experts say that although some stress is okay and necessary for people, a large amount it may result in some health problems like high blood pressure. The anxiety of failing a final exam is a global issue for all learners.
2. Not a good way of testing
Many believe that a final exam is not a suitable source to test what they know or what they have learned. This happens when a learner has performed well during the year but may have a problem on the exam day. By this view, final exam is not fair because it is only a piece of paper to test learners’ knowledge.
3. Comparison among students
You know that the learning capacity is different for every person and it is a wrong idea to compare someone with a D score with another with an A. This bitter fact may have negative impacts on the learners’ mind and makes them less motivated.
4. Reducing effectiveness
According to many people, when a learner studies for a final exam, he often focuses on the point of getting a good mark, not other things. The main reason to say that an exam will reduce the effectiveness is that learners ignore the concepts of the lesson and they usually tend to memorize many things which they will usually forget some days after the exam.