From Stress to Success: The Crucial Importance of Exams

In the words of eminent educators and experts, education and examination go hand in hand. Exams help students to develop as individuals, and teach them how to overcome failure!

Exams aim to fill students with positivity so that they can assess themselves well, and improve their overall quality of education.

According to the latest statistics in India, there were 26.25 crore students (2021-22) at the following levels (figures in crores):

Elementary	Secondary	Higher Secondary
19.81	3.85	2.85

The recent National Education Policy 2020, suggests that students examination should be conducted in grades 3, 5, and 8 other than the public exams. Even in the present time, students in elementary levels start with a process of internal exams. This means that a large part of a student’s journey revolves around the examination system in the typical educational landscape. All this proves the importance of exams once again.

What is Examination & Its Pattern in India?

The simplest definition of what is examination is the state of being examined. It is designed to test one’s qualifications or the knowledge gained.

In India, one of the popular boards, the CBSE, follows an examination system, with ‘Formative’ and ‘Summative’ assessments throughout the year.

Formative Assessment helps in understanding if the student has formed concepts. In addition, these assessments also gauge if a student acquired the necessary skills after the instruction is over.

On the other hand, Summative assessments sum up the entire learning when the course is over. Here’s the weightage allocated to these assessments by the CBSE.

Term	Assessment Type	Weightage
Term 1	Formative Assessment 1	10%
	Formative Assessment 1	10%
	Summative Assessment 1	20%
Term 2	Formative Assessment 3	10%
	Formative Assessment 4	10%
	Summative Assessment 2	40%

Why Is Examination Important?

Understanding Student’s Capacity/Learning

Both education and examination are essential to gauge the actual student’s learning. This process also pinpoints the learning/academic gaps. In this way, exams highlight the need for remedial action. And identify the workable areas.

All examinations are designed in a manner that covers the parts of course. It helps teachers to know the level to which a student has attained mastery over the subject matter. In addition, it also helps in gauging the need for extra assistance or remedial action for students who do not reach the defined benchmark.

Identify the Effectiveness of Teaching

Top traditional and online schools have their expertise in creating lesson plans. However, both the self-improvement of teachers and the overall school improvement hold great importance in the teaching and learning process.

Assessments and student exam are perfect ways to know if the teaching and learning process is going in the right direction. All students are unique individuals. And every heterogeneous group needs a separate approach for a productive learning experience. Exam results highlight the need for a teacher’s professional development, along with the need to change the teaching approaches.

K8 School, India’s best online school has the industry’s best practices for professional development of our teachers. Under the able guidance of our accreditors, we follow an approach of continuous improvement across all our processes. Explore more about our superlative teacher support now!

Instills Discipline

Without examination, education does not serve its real purpose. Students follow a disciplined lifestyle. And develop the necessary study skills to crack exams periodically. All in all, they get motivated to do well and move on to the next grade/class with a more disciplined approach.

Each assessment adds value to a student’s preparation techniques and hone relevant skills that eventually add up to greater success. Once again, this proves the importance of exams in this highly skill-driven world.

Promotes Skills

Students learn varied techniques to manage time, build good study habits, and develop qualities like perseverance while preparing for exams. Students examination also creates ‘good stress’ that boosts the performance to an altogether another level.

India’s educational paradigm is undergoing a major change in the present times. A network of online schools has now revolutionized all processes of education including assessments. Let’s discover how online schools conduct secure examinations without any dedicated exam center/premises.

Teaches Times Management Skills

Time management is an essential soft skill that can be taught to students. Student’s examination is an opportunity that helps them to know the value of time. And they learn how to make a judicious use of time to prepare for assessments.

Read a detailed article about Time Management on this page ” TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR STUDENTS: ACE YOUR CLASSES AND REDUCE STRESS“

How Are Examinations Conducted in an Online School?

In an online school, examinations are conducted through a reliable pattern in the presence of an online teacher (on the other side). Students stay at home and attempt examinations. However, online monitoring is highly effective. Because it includes mechanisms such as online proctoring tools. And the invigilation of an online teacher. These highly advanced tools track a student’s activity. The supervisor can view all that happens on the screen, microphone, and webcam as well. With these advanced monitoring systems, any behavior that indicates cheating is instantly reported and addressed. Hence, online assessments are quite secure. Virtual platforms acknowledge the importance of exams.

Tips for Examination

Take up study smart tips and cover multiple topics in a day instead of covering a single topic in length.
Do not wait for the end of the academic year, prepare for exams from day 1.
Never pile up the most difficult subjects for the last. Because it is best to cover them first.
Find a distraction-free space, because education and examination need focus.
Avoid cramming and work on conceptual understanding instead.
Use reinforcement techniques like simple rewards to boost student’s motivation.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of importance of exams like tracking student process, gaps in the teaching process, and developing skills in young learners. However, the downsides are also impactful. Exams can cause a lot of stress in students. In fact, academic stress is a massive issue in India. Around 63.5% of students reported stress because of academic pressure alone.

It is a harsh reality that the flaws of our assessment systems lead to this kind of academic stress. Now that we understand the importance of exams, let’s create the right structure. And follow a constructive approach to keep our students stress-free and motivated to crack their exams. The idea is to educate students about the long-term advantages of examinations. And help them to take complete ownership of their learning. After all, our students can learn the best only if they are stress-free and intrinsically motivated about their learning!

Thanks for Reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are exams important for life?
Student exams are important for instilling discipline in students and highlighting learning gaps to work on.

What are the different types of examination?
India has secondary and higher secondary level board exams (classes X and XII respectively). Other than this, there are different competitive exams as well such as JEE Main, JEE Advanced, NEET, and entrance exams etc.

Comment on the examination education process in India.
Examination education process in India follows the pattern of formative and summative assessments. CBSE students in classes X and XII appear for board exams in these classes.

Unlocking Academic Achievement: Understanding the Importance of Exams