Exams: Do They Really Matter?

Exploring ways to assess learning without the stress and burnout of exams

Finals week or our final week? – This is the question that many Middlesex students, and most students in general, face during that stressful week filled with exams right before winter and summer break. At the end of the semester, all Middlesex students take the dreaded final exams worth 20% of their grade, causing many to scramble to remember information taught from the beginning of the year. 

While exams are given to measure a student’s understanding of the course materials, they aren’t the only way to do so. Indeed, under the extreme pressure of performing well, some students underperform, bringing down their grades for a test performance unrepresentative of their knowledge. On top of that, it is seemingly impossible to memorize and remember all the information covered throughout the semester, making it especially difficult for students to study for classes such as history. Although many students try to start studying for their other exams earlier, it’s often proven difficult, and most of the studying ends up being done the day before the exam. During finals week, students also resort to unhealthy methods such as pulling all-nighters, ruining their sleep schedules, or skipping meals to have more study time. 

I believe that we shouldn’t get rid of exams altogether as they help with our test-taking and on-the-spot thinking skills. Instead, we should replace a couple of them with projects on topics covered throughout the semester. Projects would reduce the amount of studying needed to be crammed into the day before the exam. For example, for one year, we could have three finals in Math, Chemistry, and English. Then, we could do a project for Spanish, History, and Computer Science. These projects could be completed leading up to exam week and due before exam week to reduce the amount of classes one needs to study for. They would also require a deeper understanding of the material and allow the student to apply their knowledge rather than solely memorizing information. Every year, the classes with projects would change, thus ensuring that students grasp the content of each class.

While almost all schools have final exams, that doesn’t make them a complete necessity. I believe that although exams are important, they aren’t necessary for all classes. We as a school should try to reduce the total number of exams to lessen the already existing stress students face on a regular basis. 

Allison Luo