Are exams useful?

January 30th, 2003

The winter exams are (almost) done so I thought it fitting to launch a poll about exams. Since you do not want to relive the horror of it by thinking about your results (or predicting them), I will ask something completely different, namely:

How useful do you think exams are?

Any and all reactions are very much appreciated.

**Shiori** · January 30th, 2003

Of course they're useful. It's a gauge of just how much you've really learned so far.

Now I don't like exams as much as the next guy, but I guess it's just something that we all have to live through.

kougaiji · January 30th, 2003

well i don't like it but i know it is necessary in some way...

vivrantpig · January 30th, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by Shiori
Of course they're useful. It's a gauge of just how much you've really learned so far.

Now I don't like exams as much as the next guy, but I guess it's just something that we all have to live through.

well... some people might know the material but they just dont take good tests.. i know some ppl like that...

dont u hate it when ur teacher only counts tests for points?? gahh.. i hate tests...

**Shiori** · January 30th, 2003

Of course the prof can't make customized tests for all his/her students.

vivrantpig · January 30th, 2003

ha.. teachers dont care about the students -_- most of them anyway

T.O.F.K.A.Z · January 30th, 2003

Exams are usefull in some way but I can't see which way that is

But seriously a exam gives you an example of what you truly know on the subject.

January 30th, 2003

I guess I forgot to give you my opinion on the matter.

An exam is only useful if the setup is good. Most exams can easily separate the non-learners from those who can learn by heart and those who know their stuff.
A good exam on the other hand, and the only useful ones IMO, are the ones that can separate the latter two categories, and believe me, it is hard as nails to create such an exam (personal experience!). Naturally, doing this in an oral exam is easier than in a written exam.

**kairi00** · January 30th, 2003

An exam is by no means the best method to test a student's understanding on a subject matter.

There are basically 2 kinds of people that aces exams all the time:
(1) Those who actually understand the material thoroughly.
(2) Those who know how to 'study for' an exam.

I only do (1) for courses I am highly interested in. I aced most of my other courses by doing (2). Like what ShenLong said, it's hard to write an exam that can separate (1) and (2).

However, an exam is one of the easier way to 'quantify' the amount of knowledge you have gained during the course of study. I am personally a believer in large-scale, semester-long projects/papers rather than exams.. however, these are a pain to administer and grade. Grading 50 exams is way less work than grading 50 huge projects/papers. Not to say that exams are completely worthless, however, in my humble opinion, they are not the most accurate gauge of your knowledge on a particular subject.

**Kirby** · January 30th, 2003

I didn't have to study for my exams. All my teachers think we are idiots

I still think I passed all my exams

Syed Fawad · January 30th, 2003

hey kougaiji, your avatar, have I seen it before?

Exams? Yup they are cool. Studies won't be fun and thrillking without exams, now will they?

Christemplar · January 30th, 2003

Hm, most of my classmates memorize, not understand the theory.

But, alas, it's the easiest way to determine one's grade.

Exodus · January 30th, 2003

exams...
they're useless to us, but it help the teacher decide if he wants to pass us. we don't get anything out of it. we aren't learning anything by taking exams, so...

January 30th, 2003

It seems that a number of people believe that projects/papers are a good alternative to exams. I tend to disagree, for it allows a lot more cheating than exams, especially group projects. In that case, one person usually does the motherlode of the work while the others are having an easy time (personal experience). You also run the risk that the project is ripped from someone else who did that stuff before (also personal experience). Another downside is that projects are extremely taxing on someone. Just imagine the person has 6 or 7 courses and has to do a full-blown project for each one.

At the very least the students' creativity will be stimulated, in the sense of how to get as good a grade as possible while doing as little as possible.

IMO, an oral exam is the best way (of many evils) to assess someone's knowledge and comprehension on a subject, for you have the ability to do some in-depth probing when necessary.

**Kane** · January 30th, 2003

I'd agree ShenLong. Last year when I was doing my Jap oral, I couldn't remember stuff they were asking me, so they changed the questions and I could answer.
I think a balance of projects and exams are needed to appropriately guage your progress.

Exodus · January 30th, 2003

what i hate is when teachers think their class is the only one you're taking and they decide to dish out something time consuming.

Recca · January 30th, 2003

I find it very usefull, its a good way to see what you are good at and what you need to do better

Mr. Killjoy · January 30th, 2003

I missed my electronics exams last year, but most of the cheaters in my class (almost all my classmates) got it, DAMN! Why honesty
is never rewarded?

Kraelis · January 30th, 2003

In favor of exams.

If it's the traditional kind of exams, I DON'T want it given as 1 or 2 big ones, especially if you don't know how the prof makes tests. Even if you understand the topic, sometimes, you also have to know the prof's style. I have one right now who takes utmost attempt to "trip" you. Tricky wordings, etc... He may give a multiple choice exam where for the most part, the choices are correct, but one single little implied thing there makes it all wrong.

For the separation of 1 and 2, I tend to favor non-traditional exams. Exams that are "cheat-proof", and/or concentrate on application of the lesson. VERY HARD to make one, though, but in my experience, they are the most effective...

But then of course, it depends on what the course or subject is. Some courses simply are exam based, some are simply projects and stuff.

(F)ragnarok(F) · January 31st, 2003

exams r bullsh1t. ppl only have to study for them or just know the stuff. it doesnt mean taht we'll memorize the stuff throughout our lives. but i prefer an exam over a project to determine my marks. for a project, i have to spend days n days working on it while for an exam, i just study for a day n im done.

View Poll Results: Are exams useful, IYO?
Extremely useful.	8	33.33%
So-So.	9	37.50%
A pile of crap.	7	29.17%
Exams??? I don't have any!	0	0%
Voters: 24. You may not vote on this poll

January 30th, 2003	#1 (permalink)
ShenLong Guest Posts: n/a	Are exams useful? The winter exams are (almost) done so I thought it fitting to launch a poll about exams. Since you do not want to relive the horror of it by thinking about your results (or predicting them), I will ask something completely different, namely: How useful do you think exams are? Any and all reactions are very much appreciated.

January 30th, 2003	#2 (permalink)
Shiori :3 Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Seoul, South Korea Posts: 10,116	Of course they're useful. It's a gauge of just how much you've really learned so far. Now I don't like exams as much as the next guy, but I guess it's just something that we all have to live through. __________________ "...And when I finally meet you again, I want to ask you - have you found what you were looking for? Because that's what I felt you were doing, all these years. And I want to hear you answer, "Yes, I have, thank you for asking," and we'll be together again, until the end of our days..."

January 30th, 2003	#3 (permalink)
kougaiji smile...like an angel Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: sichuan,mianyang,china Posts: 549	well i don't like it but i know it is necessary in some way... __________________ cumpter: AMD 2500+ 512mb TNT2 32mb console: PS2

January 30th, 2003	#5 (permalink)
Shiori :3 Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Seoul, South Korea Posts: 10,116	Of course the prof can't make customized tests for all his/her students. __________________ "...And when I finally meet you again, I want to ask you - have you found what you were looking for? Because that's what I felt you were doing, all these years. And I want to hear you answer, "Yes, I have, thank you for asking," and we'll be together again, until the end of our days..."

January 30th, 2003	#6 (permalink)
vivrantpig (>^_^)> KIRBY Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,609	ha.. teachers dont care about the students -_- most of them anyway

January 30th, 2003	#7 (permalink)
T.O.F.K.A.Z ..::NL_HC_NL::.. Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: THE PLACE EVERYONE FORGOT Posts: 1,744	Exams are usefull in some way but I can't see which way that is But seriously a exam gives you an example of what you truly know on the subject. __________________ Senior Member of the "Optimism-Non-Pessismism Club" ---------- Specs : PENTIUM 4 2,5 Ghz / GEFORCE FX 5700 Ultra --------- ---------- SOUND BLASTER Audigy2 Platinum/ 512MB DDR -------------- ---------- If you don't agree with me then that's OK by ----------------- ---------- me but I hope you respect my opinion as well ----------------

January 30th, 2003	#8 (permalink)
ShenLong Guest Posts: n/a	I guess I forgot to give you my opinion on the matter. An exam is only useful if the setup is good. Most exams can easily separate the non-learners from those who can learn by heart and those who know their stuff. A good exam on the other hand, and the only useful ones IMO, are the ones that can separate the latter two categories, and believe me, it is hard as nails to create such an exam (personal experience!). Naturally, doing this in an oral exam is easier than in a written exam.

January 30th, 2003	#9 (permalink)
kairi00 Puchiko-nyu! Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: 49° 11' N 123° 10' W Posts: 2,854	An exam is by no means the best method to test a student's understanding on a subject matter. There are basically 2 kinds of people that aces exams all the time: (1) Those who actually understand the material thoroughly. (2) Those who know how to 'study for' an exam. I only do (1) for courses I am highly interested in. I aced most of my other courses by doing (2). Like what ShenLong said, it's hard to write an exam that can separate (1) and (2). However, an exam is one of the easier way to 'quantify' the amount of knowledge you have gained during the course of study. I am personally a believer in large-scale, semester-long projects/papers rather than exams.. however, these are a pain to administer and grade. Grading 50 exams is way less work than grading 50 huge projects/papers. Not to say that exams are completely worthless, however, in my humble opinion, they are not the most accurate gauge of your knowledge on a particular subject. __________________ "Not every ejaculation deserves a name." --- George Carlin

January 30th, 2003	#10 (permalink)
Kirby Politically incorrect FTW Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Massachusetts, USA Posts: 8,445	I didn't have to study for my exams. All my teachers think we are idiots I still think I passed all my exams __________________ AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ Toledo, Nvidia GeForce 7950GT SLi, 2GB PC3200 2-3-2-5, ABit AN8-SLi, Sound Blaster X-FI XtremeMusic

January 30th, 2003	#11 (permalink)
Syed Fawad -PM to advertise here- Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: In an average country of an average planet of the solar system of an average star of an average galaxy of an average cluster. Still not average... Posts: 8,261	hey kougaiji, your avatar, have I seen it before? Exams? Yup they are cool. Studies won't be fun and thrillking without exams, now will they? __________________ Asus K8N (nForce3) AMD64 3000+ (754) 768MB DDR 400MHz (PC 3200) nVidia Geforce 6600GT 128MB (AGP) Aquamark3 - 53,000 "Good friends mustn't always be together. It is the feeling of oneness when distant that proves a lasting friendship"

January 30th, 2003	#12 (permalink)
Christemplar Angel Join Date: May 2002 Location: A place beyond beyond. Posts: 2,296	Hm, most of my classmates memorize, not understand the theory. But, alas, it's the easiest way to determine one's grade. __________________ Writing of Insanity

January 30th, 2003	#13 (permalink)
Exodus Now the stars don't match Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Null Posts: 14,431	exams... they're useless to us, but it help the teacher decide if he wants to pass us. we don't get anything out of it. we aren't learning anything by taking exams, so... __________________ No, I don't like anime, Street Fighter, Japanese music or download video game music. Yes, I know, I'm weird.

January 30th, 2003	#14 (permalink)
ShenLong Guest Posts: n/a	It seems that a number of people believe that projects/papers are a good alternative to exams. I tend to disagree, for it allows a lot more cheating than exams, especially group projects. In that case, one person usually does the motherlode of the work while the others are having an easy time (personal experience). You also run the risk that the project is ripped from someone else who did that stuff before (also personal experience). Another downside is that projects are extremely taxing on someone. Just imagine the person has 6 or 7 courses and has to do a full-blown project for each one. At the very least the students' creativity will be stimulated, in the sense of how to get as good a grade as possible while doing as little as possible. IMO, an oral exam is the best way (of many evils) to assess someone's knowledge and comprehension on a subject, for you have the ability to do some in-depth probing when necessary.

January 30th, 2003	#15 (permalink)
Kane 邪魔ゎ指せない Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Gosport, England Posts: 26,255	I'd agree ShenLong. Last year when I was doing my Jap oral, I couldn't remember stuff they were asking me, so they changed the questions and I could answer. I think a balance of projects and exams are needed to appropriately guage your progress. __________________ >Site Live< Pop over to my site for help with setting up PSX emulators. Help for the Final Fantasies and other RPGs avalaible Celes: (Desktop) Athlon 64 X2 4200+, 2Gb 400MHz DDR Ram, MSI K8N Platinum, GeForce 8800 GTS 320Mb, 500Gb RAID HDD, Vista Business Erika: (MCPC) Athlon XP 2400+, 1Gb 400MHz DDR Ram, geForce 6800 256Mb, 80Gb Hdd, XP 2005 MCE Kimiko: (Desktop 2) Athlon 64 3000+, 512Mb 400MHz DDR Ram, Asus K8V, geForce 6800 128Mb

January 30th, 2003	#18 (permalink)
Mr. Killjoy [Suggest a custom title] Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Somewhere I don't belong (La Rochelle, France) Posts: 7,753	I missed my electronics exams last year, but most of the cheaters in my class (almost all my classmates) got it, DAMN! Why honesty is never rewarded? __________________ Leader of "The Pessimists' Club" CPU: Core 2 Q6600@3GHz - RAM: 2GB DDR2 (Corsair PC6400) VGA: GF8800GTS 512MB OC - Mobo: Gigabyte EP35C-DS3R - PSU: Antec Trio 650w 24Mb/1Mb ADSL - WindowsXP-Pro SP2 --------------------------------------------- All ePSXe plugins up-to-date http://mrkilljoy.deviantart.com/

January 30th, 2003	#16 (permalink)
Exodus Now the stars don't match Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Null Posts: 14,431	what i hate is when teachers think their class is the only one you're taking and they decide to dish out something time consuming. __________________ No, I don't like anime, Street Fighter, Japanese music or download video game music. Yes, I know, I'm weird.

January 30th, 2003	#17 (permalink)
Recca Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Where ever fate shall lead me. Posts: 3,946	I find it very usefull, its a good way to see what you are good at and what you need to do better __________________ この世に悪があるとすれば、それは人の心だ。エドワ-ド・D・モリスン

January 30th, 2003	#19 (permalink)
Kraelis Fallen Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Moonlight Spire Posts: 1,393	In favor of exams. If it's the traditional kind of exams, I DON'T want it given as 1 or 2 big ones, especially if you don't know how the prof makes tests. Even if you understand the topic, sometimes, you also have to know the prof's style. I have one right now who takes utmost attempt to "trip" you. Tricky wordings, etc... He may give a multiple choice exam where for the most part, the choices are correct, but one single little implied thing there makes it all wrong. For the separation of 1 and 2, I tend to favor non-traditional exams. Exams that are "cheat-proof", and/or concentrate on application of the lesson. VERY HARD to make one, though, but in my experience, they are the most effective... But then of course, it depends on what the course or subject is. Some courses simply are exam based, some are simply projects and stuff. __________________ --KrÆlis Cross Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur =============== Athlon 64 x2 3800\| Asrock ALiveNF6G-VSTA \| Kingston DDR2 1 Gb RAM

January 31st, 2003	#20 (permalink)
(F)ragnarok(F) Trying to stay alive Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: ... Posts: 2,936	exams r bullsh1t. ppl only have to study for them or just know the stuff. it doesnt mean taht we'll memorize the stuff throughout our lives. but i prefer an exam over a project to determine my marks. for a project, i have to spend days n days working on it while for an exam, i just study for a day n im done. __________________ Motherboard: Intel915GLVG -- CPU: Pentium 4 3.06GHz -- Monitor: ViewSonic VE910b LCD -- Video: Onboard -- Sound: Creative SB Audigy 2 -- Memory: 512 MB -- Disk Drives: Western Digital 250GB S-ATA -- OS: Windows XP -- DVD Rom University life sux....

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