Exams. Considered as the most important part of a student’s life. Usually, the finale of their time in their current institution and symbolise achievement and hard work. That is when the results are good, but the pressure, stress and self-doubt that these tests exert have a negative impact on students. So the questions is, do we really need exams and do they live up to their purpose?

For students who are aiming to succeed in their exams, their preparation through revision starts around 2-3 weeks before the real thing. They put in effort, determination and devotion into revising and covering all the topics to ensure that their hard work is paid off with the outcome of good results. Exams are clearly helpful as they are a cumulation of all the knowledge students learn in school. Whether that be classwork, homework or extra work they put in themselves.

Through this, it also gives students a chance to show off their skills and understanding whilst also improving them. Exams test students’ ability to time themselves to ensure they answer all questions, they evaluate students’ rationality in their thinking and make sure that they are reading the questions carefully to understand the full meaning. Finally, this may seem obvious, but the results of the exam can aid students in further qualifications so that they can really achieve and reach their goals and aspirations.

However, many young people would disagree with the idea of exams and tests because they are demanding and put a lot of pressure on students to do well. Even though they may have revised in advance, the anxiety and panic that sets in the morning before an exam can really have a toll on mental health. The late nights that they spend revising and the early mornings to get to school on time are emotionally and physically draining and usually result in low performance in their tests.

Furthermore, it could also be argued that exams are not a true representation of pupils’ academic ability. The work and effort that is found in the classroom can be completely different to the degree at which students perform in their exams and therefore they are an inaccurate measure of an individuals work ethic.

Overall, I believe that examinations have both positives and negatives but to ensure that students do not feel under constant pressure, they need to reach out and find support so that they can perform to their full potential in exams as everyone can obtain great results.