The time is coming when students lock themselves up in their rooms with their heads buried in textbooks. Everyone dreads this time of the year but students might be asking, is it really worth the headache? Contrary to popular opinion, finals assist students to establish efficient test-taking skills, consistent effort throughout the semester, and hold students accountable.
Imagine if, in your entire high school career, you never took one final exam. Initially, that sounds like a dream until you find out that finals are a major part of your grades in college. If a student doesn’t develop test-taking skills in high school, then they are essentially setting themselves up for failure in higher education. AP Government Teacher Michele Fournier said, “All students going to college will be presented with some kind of final. Those going into the workplace may not have finals per se, but will have deadlines and expectations that must be met. That need to prepare and be ready is an important skill to learn.” Test-taking is much more than endless studying or getting an A. The process nurtures and helps develop your time management, memory and critical thinking skills.
According to Psychology Today, “Finals can help students make choices and become more discerning. As more and more information comes at us all the time, and as we are faced with increasing responsibilities as we get older, we have to learn to know how and where we can best cut corners and skim material in a way in which very little is compromised” (psychologytoday.com). Many people think that the only purpose of school is to acquire new information to be able to pass tests. The answer to this question is as follows: tests challenge you to assess your own knowledge and study accordingly.
Even though finals may result in a significant amount of stress, finals encourage consistent effort and engagement with the material throughout the year to avoid this stress. If a student is constantly reviewing the content of the course, they are more likely to be more at ease come finals week. Fournier said, “I tell my students well in advance what their final structure will be and offer review in the days leading up to the test. Because it is truly a review of what we’ve been doing all year; hopefully students won’t feel overwhelmed.” When a student takes advantage of the resources provided to them by their teachers and avoids procrastination, they will be successful in their final exams.
When a student studies for an exam and takes that assessment, they are able to analyze their own learning skills, giving them the opportunity to improve in the future. Sophomore Caleb Hoskinson said, “I typically go through all of the coursework for the semester and try to refresh my knowledge. I think finals accurately reflect what I’ve learned throughout the semester, because they force you to remember everything you’ve learned.” Fournier highlighted that students who have plans for college will be expected to take semester or quarter finals or turn in writing tasks as a display of a student’s growth and understanding of the concepts presented to a student throughout the course.
Like anything in this world, nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. Fournier said that a final doesn’t have to be a traditional test, and that a student’s knowledge could be assessed in a different way, such as by a project or presentation. She said, “My biggest challenge is making sure that I have covered the things I expect them to know. If I haven’t taught it or presented it in some way, I can’t expect them to know it.” Every teacher assesses their students uniquely depending on the course and it’s not to say that all finals are necessarily fair. Fournier said, “I know what I need to cover by the time the AP test rolls around at the start of May, so I backtrack and create a monthly calendar for the students and myself in order to be sure I’m on pace.” It is important to know that most teachers put in immense thought and care to create fair and equitable assessments and if a student encounters any struggles, it is their responsibility to communicate that concern.
Despite the stress that students may encounter when approaching a final exam, with persistence and determination, they can overcome it. The time and effort put into finals are important in assessing a student’s knowledge, cultivating crucial skills, and acting as a motivation to maintain efforts.