There is more to exams than just the end result

There is more to exams than just the end result 

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/there-is-more-to-exams-than-just-the-end-result

2024-01-13

By Neo Zhizhong, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Geniebook, a Singapore-based online learning platform.

Every time we usher in the new year with the hope of better things to come, a cloud of nervous anticipation looms for the many students awaiting the outcomes of their GCE O- and A-level results.

Those two academic milestones are usually marked in the first two months of the year.

As the co-founder of an educational technology company, I have often wondered if the lightning pace of advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and the changes in the education landscape will affect the role of traditional examinations. After all, there have been some key developments on that front in recent years.

It was in March 2022 that the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced mid-year examinations would be removed for all primary and secondary school students. This decisive step, which came after several years of gradual change, forms a part of MOE’s structural reforms towards an appreciation for the intrinsic value that education provides.

However, many parents feared that the removal would lead to students being caught off-guard during the finals. One Forum contributor expressed concern that those lagging behind might end up floundering unnoticed until it is too late. Some students are also anxious that they are unable to determine where they stand in relation to their cohort.

It is a case of “can’t live with them or without them” when it comes to exams.

Much of the anxiety, understandably, revolves around performance in that final exam and how it’s affected by the lack of opportunities for students to experience exam conditions earlier in the year. But amid this back-and-forth, an important part of the conversation tends to go unheard. There is more to exams than the result.

While results certainly carry weight, the process of preparing for an exam and taking it inculcates important life skills and traits that prepare students for the road ahead. Often, in our fixation with results, we forget that the young minds have already learnt plenty of valuable lessons along the way.

Benefits in preparation

Exams are meant to do more than just test one’s ability to absorb and regurgitate information. They are also meant to get students to develop the skills necessary for critical and independent thinking.

Such soft skills are crucial and expected in an evolving working landscape. Students learn to appreciate and develop the ability to manage their goals, prioritise tasks and exercise time discipline – all essential to self-directed learning.

For example, students need to strategise their study sessions, figure out what their weaknesses are and understand how to do better and what methods they need to adopt. They need to prioritise certain topics or subjects based on their exam schedule. These everyday decisions are microcosms of the larger choices and trade-offs they will face in their professional and personal lives later on.

A student intern I recently spoke with shared how exam preparation taught her invaluable time management skills. She often had to balance exam preparation with other extracurriculars, and through that she learnt to study efficiently in a manner that worked for her.

“I had to ensure I would not get too stressed or burned out, so time management allowed me to incorporate self-care and relaxation time into my schedule. I’m now better able to adapt when I’m under pressure, which I think will be necessary when I join the workforce,” she said.

This is especially true at higher levels of education, in which additional factors in life, such as side hustles, family obligations and interpersonal relationships come into play, and students no longer have the luxury of pure, undivided time dedicated to study.

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Exam stress: friend or foe?

Preparation for exams also provides students the opportunity to cultivate a sense of resilience – a quality that proves invaluable when faced with more substantial challenges later in life.

Despite prevalent discussions steering towards the notion that exams impose unnecessary stress, potentially disrupting the joy of learning, we need to acknowledge that not all forms of stress are bad.

Numerous studies have shown that some stressful situations can help to reinforce skills and consolidate memory. When we are under pressure, our nervous system releases catecholamines and cortisol, which influence learning and memory by activating our natural fight-or-flight response and enhancing neural functioning. In other words, certain high-pressure situations can help our brains work more optimally, aiding in our learning and memory.

Through examinations, students have an opportunity to build a sense of discipline and their ability to withstand that level of pressure.

Another student intern, who is currently in her first year of junior college, found a silver lining in the process of preparing for examinations given time constraints: the pressure during examination season has taught her to be discerning with how she spends her time.

“The process has taught me that the amount of study required to do well for each subject varies greatly from person to person, allowing me to realise that effort doesn’t always translate into result,” she said. “This doesn’t mean I don’t try to do my best in general, but that I’m able to cope with moments of failure and pick myself up again, without adding unnecessary stress by comparing myself to other people.”

But of course, not all kinds of stress are productive – cortisol can both enhance and impair memory, making it all the more crucial to ensure a balanced approach. 

While exams no doubt remain relevant, we should not allow them to be the limiting factor in a person’s life trajectory.

Everyone’s intellectual and emotional development follows a different timeline, and some individuals may excel in areas that are not effectively measured by standard exams.

It is important to reduce some of the stress students face and have conversations around mental health and managing the stressors that arise when preparing for exams. Education, after all, should progress at a pace that is conducive, not counterproductive.

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Setting students up for success in life

At this juncture, there is no way of knowing whether examinations will eventually be rendered obsolete in the light of developments around new technologies made possible by advancements in AI, such as ChatGPT.

However what is clear is that now, more than ever, it is crucial to develop values in our children such as self-directed learning, critical thinking and adaptability, to ensure their ability to apply what they have learnt to the latest developments that come their way.

Regardless of what your children’s examination results may be, it is important for parents and students to not just reduce the process to those grades. Do recognise the effort that has gone into preparation, the approach they have taken, and the values they have learnt.

Those lessons build character. Those lessons are crucial in helping them navigate the long road ahead.

Neo Zhizhong is chief executive officer and co-founder of Geniebook, a Singapore-based online learning platform.

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