Sometimes I question what examiners are looking for. Having recently retaken an exam and missing it again, I'm beginning to question the role of exams. Are examiners requiring candidates to merely replicate a particular world view namely their own prescribed world view or are they genuinely 'testing' ability and dare I say it personal creativity or difference. Whoops where are the criteria to measure someone's creativity or individual flair. I'm not saying I was particularly creative yet I thought I had answered all the questions thoroughly and answered them according to my knowledge and experience.
It's interesting to think back to exams I didn't do so well in; I still remember much of the course content and isn't that assimilated knowledge more useful than the fleeting knowledge gained by someone who had passed yet a few months later had forgotten what they had studied in the first place.
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative"
(Oscar Wilde)
It's been over 40 years since I took a college exam so I'm not sure I have an opinion. The only real exam I remember is my 'comp' (comprehensive) for my MBA and I did pretty well on that. As best as I recall I believe the professors were looking for knowledge of all the material we were expected to know and perhaps a creative approach to using that information to solve a real world problem.
ReplyDeleteAll I know for sure is I'm glad I don't have to take exams again.
Best wishes, Dan