The dreaded final exam. Every student fears, no matter how much they may say they enjoy the process and why wouldn't they? Final exams represent the culmination of all that's been learned and experienced over the year, and summing the whole package into one two or three hour long examination can sometimes often prove difficult.
But the things we fear often turn out to be beneficial, and the same goes with exams. They're a pain and a chore, true, but they're also character builders. Exams are excellent at not only revealing our strengths but also our weaknesses, telling us what we need to concentrate on and where we need to improve. As such taking a few exams in your life is not a bad thing, for even though you may score badly you'll still, in the end, learn something.
Here are some of the benefits of taking final exams
- Exams force you to re-learn material, increasing the chances that it will stick in your brain. It's an obvious benefit, but still bears noting first. Exams require re-reading of one's notes from throughout the year, not to mention poring over slides, investigating diagrams and sometimes even watching videos. Even if it's all stuff you've already learned, you're more likely to retain it for a longer time if you've had to go over it all again a second time.
- Exams force students to develop time management habits. Let's say you have two major exams on one day and a third on the next day, with only one week to study for them all. You may think that one of those exams should fit into that week rather than three. What's to be done? Well, you need to develop some time management skills to ensure that you can get all your memorization completed before those dreadful two days, not to mention do everything else that's normally required in those days (day-to-day tasks like shopping, cooking, working, that sort of thing). There's no better way to develop these abilities than under duress.
- Exams force students to focus. It's difficult to get through all that material three or four times so it stays in your head, especially if the weather's nice and friends with less work to do beckon. Avoid these happy evils and stay inside. The more you can focus, the better off you'll be and the easier you'll find it later on. The ability to focus on your tasks also translates well to the workforce, so if you're successful now employers will be happy in the future.
- Exams reveal a student's preferred method of study. The first time you need to study for an exam you may find yourself hitting a wall. Simply reading notes doesn't work for everyone. Others may need to spice up their study routine, and a looming exam will force them to re-evaluate their methods, and quickly. Some ingenious exam study methods have doubtless sprung forth from stress, and no matter how odd they may be, if it works, it works.
- And last, exams let you know if you're ready to advance to the next level. This is the ultimate purpose of an exam, and even if a student fails and is held back they may benefit in the long run. A failed exam identifies an unprepared student perhaps they need another year before they're fully comfortable with their chosen field. Or perhaps failure simply indicates a lack of proficiency and interest in the course, which can help a student realize that they may not want to pursue this area of study. It's a hard lesson to learn, but in the end a worthy one.
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