Exam tension

After years and years of experience and just minutes of thought, I have finally come to a consensus on how an exam should be conducted. In Tamil we have the saying "Parichai naale vepanga". It means attending exams is like eating neem fruit which is bitter tasting. Nobody likes exams. Only a few people who come in the extremes of the normal distribution curve say that "Exam is a test of skill and knowledge" ,"I love writing exams", "Exams are challenging" etc. Whatever it is exams cause us to always break away from our comfort zone. I would rather catch up with a match or go for a movie than write exams.

Have you noticed that every sentence in the above paragraph has the word 'exam'? Thats what it has done to my system. I just get so over frustrated, over excited with the very mention of that word. It gives me seriousness and an extreme passion to perform (look who is abnormal?). I bet every successful human being owes his progress because of taking up some test or the other seriously.

No! I don't wanna ban examinations. They are very much needed. My contention is that they should be well planned and well structured. They should test our real analytical skills, a test of understanding and they should fuel my growth. I am not in for exams which is a test of memory and mugging up. Such exams should be done way with especially in the field of sciences.

After watching "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" recently I have suddenly decided to apply it in the field of exams.

1. There should be only one exam per year per course and it should be in the beginning of the year itself. For e.g. If you want to study 8th grade this year then take up the exam in the beginning of the year itself.

2. That exam should be rechristened as "Qualifying levels or QUILLS".

3. There should be no specific pattern for the quill and it should test the general know how and thinking and conceptual skill of the candidate. For e.g. for a quill to the 8th grade it should have every subject e.g. English, Computer, Maths and the syllabus is everything from 1st to 7th.

4. A candidate should be prepared to answer all types of questions. There should be an element of unpredictability in the paper. The unpredictability should increase with the increasing years. For e.g. Quill of 9th should be more unpredictable than quill of 8th.

5. Of course there should be only class tests and assignments till 5th grade. Quills should start only from 6th grade.

6. The candidate should be allowed to take any no of quill attempts. Mock quills can be conducted throughout the year and it should be only OPTIONAL and not a force upon the student.

7. The result for the quills should be in terms of grades and not marks. For e.g. A, B, C, D, E and F. The candidate can improve the grades any time of the year provided he/she gets C and above in the first attempt. Suppose if she gets D or E or F, she can still take improvements but she qualifies only for the next academic year.

8. There should be no reservation in terms caste, money, creed, sex etc.

9. Quills must be conducted at a nominal cost based on income and there should be ample scholarships.

10. Quill system should be uniform throughout India. A student can take the exam in any authorized place in India.

11. Classes should NOT be conducted in the motive of passing quill. On the other hand it should arouse the curiosity of the student and encourage him/her to do research in the subjects taught.

Finally, there should be a sea change in the educational system and outlook in India. It is not quantity that matters but only quality. No point in literacy rate if one does not know to read and write anything except one's own signature.

The same pattern of quills should be followed in Higher studies- Qualifying level for engineering. medicine, mathematics, literature, journalism etc.