Most of the global education system comprises tests and examination as central aspect of evalaution. I agree with the fact that the educational merits of testing outweigh any of its demerits.
Firstly, the main advantage of assesments is we get to know about the student’s understanding with the modules of the curriculum. Tests help to understand that whether the fellow has studied and acheived the fulfilled the course objectives or not. Examinations are a structured way of evaluating one’s performance and grasp of concepts.
Secondly, due to the pressure developed due to exams, the person does study the syllabus throughly which ultimately increases his/her knowledge of the subject. Exams create a sense of responsibilty in the students for learning the coursework. If there is a lazy student who doesn’t pay attention to the curricular actvities, he would somehow need to study for passing the exam. This will for indirectly benefit the student itself if we think from a broader perspective.
However, it is well said that ‘A single piece of paper cannot decide our future’. Sometimes hectic exam schedules and patterns overburden the students which results in unlikely consquences like excessive mental stress. Poor results in assessments can also lead to depression among the pupils. It is also the responsibilty of the educational institutes that they undertake proper steps to help reduce the anxiety caused by these exams by giving proper breaks between the tests having a fair grade assignment criteria.Regular studying habbits, revisions helps to cope up properly for the tests.
Coming to the conclusion, exams and tests are beneficial for the school systems as they provide a rational way to judge a person’s efforts invested in the learning process.