Where’s the Learning? The Fallacy and Folly of Final Exams

“Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”

Had I grown up Catholic, the priest would have heard my confession more than once during junior high and high school final exam time. Alright, college too.

There is no question that emphasizing important concepts and skills multiple times has significant educational value. No problem with circling back for review. Smaller, more frequent assessments coupled with real-time feedback result in learning that sticks. A formal exam has little impact on learning, especially contained as part of an exam week. Results though are useful tools for categorizing, sorting, and ranking.

Why is the final exam necessary? Short answer. It’s not. But, here are some beliefs around the need for final exams.

Perhaps final exams are an opportunity to make up for poor grades accumulated during the grading period. My experience has been that most students do not improve their overall grade due to a final exam. Is it the most effective way to determine what a student knows and can do or just the most expedient?

Real-life. Students who continue studies do end up taking high stakes exams to enter professions. From getting your driver’s license to the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) to the bar exam, the standard is to RE-TAKE examinations until a satisfactory result is achieved. Final exams in high schools and colleges are high stakes, one-shot opportunities.

HS students need the final exam experience to prepare for college. True, back in the 20th century collegiate-type examinations had some value, perhaps. However, with the growth of Advanced Placement (AP) classes and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, creating additional college-like exam experiences are no longer necessary.

Let’s take a look at what’s happening with final exams at Harvard. In 2010, only 23% of undergraduate courses scheduled final exams. And in graduate-level courses the numbers drop to 3%. Professors are providing take-home exams, papers, and projects instead. The university now assumes that professors will not give final exams.

Canada is weighing in in a big way for change in exam structure. Alberta and Ontario are actively reducing the amount and emphasis on testing. There is growing resentment in the United States against high stakes testing in primary and secondary schools. And a Twitter site, #TTOG (Teachers Throwing Out Grades), takes it a step further.

Not everyone agrees. Canadian education researcher Ken Coates states, “People have forgotten at great detriment that the writing of a test is a valuable skill in its own right.” And here is a college professor blogging (2010) about the importance of mandatory final exams.

Impact of exam schedules. Not only do many schools devote 2 weeks per year to the exam schedule, but some universities have also created an additional Dead Week in advance of finals. Meant to be a time for scholarly review with little or no additional work, many students recount a week of high stress, little sleep, and lots of stimulants. It seems to be a good amount of non-study activities and “primal screams” during Dead Week.  At Iowa State University, students are invited to partake in an obstacle course, a bounce house, and jousting to help reduce stress before finals.  That’s right, a bounce house.

Due to the nature of the week, multiple finals for students and teachers/professors with a looming deadline to turn in grades, the type of exam is usually one that is easy to mark. Often times, there is little or no feedback on exam results. Feedback is the core of learning. However, the grade is done. The learning is over.

As a personal example, my daughter is a freshman at a liberal arts college in Minnesota. Her school has a study day and then four days of testing. She has final exams scheduled for 3 of 4 courses and is leaving for the summer holiday immediately following the last exam. I’m guessing this is typical of many college students.

What other realities exist around final exams?

Cramming. Exam preparation often relies on cramming. Intense, long hours of study do not lead to long-term retention like spaced studying over a period of time. If the only purpose was to learn it for the test, then why do it in the first place? We know why — the grade. Long-term retention is low. Cram it. Test it. Forget it.

When cramming fails… there is always cheating. Eric Anderman, an educational psychology professor at Ohio State University, states that an amazing 80% of students admit to cheating and “research has consistently shown that cheating is more likely to occur in classrooms that focus on performance – getting the best possible grades, doing the best on tests.” Recent exam-taking scandals of note include the largest cheating episode in recent times at Harvard. the Atlanta teacher/administrator cheating scandal, and the fascinating former Stuyvesant High School student tell-all on his cheating ways.

Extreme testing cultures. At a school in Bihar, India, families have taken cheating to a whole new level by passing notes and information through windows to exam-taking relatives.

Proper monitoring of test-taking students reduces cheating. Proctors from this school in China are issued binoculars and step ladders to do their work.

With teachers, parents, politicians, and educational institutions valuing test results over learning, it’s no wonder students will do anything to meet that expectation. Subsequently, stress, the pressure to succeed, high stakes testing, competition, helping friends, impulsivity, and technology advancements all contribute to students making poor choices and believing that the end justifies the means.

Sadly, student suicide rates in India, China, and South Korea are high in relation to other countries. Although contributing factors behind suicide are complicated, numerous news reports from Asian countries relate these rates to high stakes exam pressure. Universities across the USA and UK have ramped up their suicide prevention education in recent years.

Instead of a Dead Week and Exam Week, why not a Genius Week, an expanded version of Genius Hour? Students can pursue self-directed learning related to their passions and field of study. Because of little connectedness between courses at the university level, we won’t be seeing a Genius Week anytime soon. But high schools could certainly evolve this practice or, at a minimum, just continue the regular learning without the big exam week.

You can give a final grade without a final exam. If Harvard can do it, why can’t your school?

Lastly, for those stuck in the final exam system and have nowhere else to turn, I can recommend from personal experience that seeking support from a higher source can’t hurt. As you might guess, these days you can access a website to pray for good exam results.

Cartoon credit: John DeRosier – Times Union