Tests and examinations are a central feature of school systems in many countries. Do you think the educational benefits of testing outweigh any disadvantages? Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

It is often argued that annual or mid-term examinations are essential to gauge the understanding of a student with regard to subjects studied. At times,

this

static

approach

has been rightly criticised, by many academics, owing to its inability to measure practical

knowledge

and judging only memory-based

knowledge

of a student. In

this

essay, we shall explore the disadvantages of

this

approach

compared to a more practical

approach

for the evaluation of students' understanding.

Firstly

, education structures have always been built with the aim to impart

knowledge

on its subjects. In order to judge whether a pupil has accumulated sufficient skills and expertise in a given subject, the pupil is usually put to perform a task whose results help the system judge the level of the student's deftness.

However

, in modern times, these tests have been reduced to only pen and paper-based systems which abominably forces learners to memorize as much as possible and try to recall the same during an examination.

For example

, the Indian education system is the only pen and paper-based and practical

knowledge

is almost absent from the learning outcomes.

On the contrary

, learning modules which have found the importance of practical

knowledge

as the substitutability of antediluvian and archaic testing approaches have been able to increase the innovation index of their states and countries by a huge margin.

For instance

, countries like Finland and Switzerland have been regarded as the most innovative countries on the planet and it was possible only because of their practical

approach

to studying. As an example, imagine writing a thesis on building a bridge and actually building a bridge, it is conspicuous which case is emanating more learning opportunities. In conclusion, it is the practical utility of learning

that is

more important than a dormant accumulation of facts.

Therefore

, a monopolistic

approach

towards judging skills and

knowledge

should not be encouraged rather a mixed strategy should be used so as to help the learners to the fullest.