Exams

[Whaleboy]

Sure am! When I was 18/19 I spent most of the time off my face on various substances so kinda messed up my grades. Got a bit sick of the rat race over the last few years so right now trying to get into uni (even quit work for a couple of months to nail revision). Not easy, but then won't get any easier as I get older so why not?

[Lazerus]

The chem project i'm working on is an utter pain in the arse with it being in the phys chem realms, i'd much rather i was given a couple of exams instead of it.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
IMO it makes more sense for subjects, particularly the humanities, to be judged entirely on coursework.

Why should 'humanities' be excused the tough ride of exams compared to science-based subjects?

I know exams can be difficult and stressful - I went through hell with my A-levels, and that was over 20 years ago when I think you'll find they were harder than they are today, but life is about pressure and deadlines.

Jobs require things to be done in a certain time, and the interviews to get the jobs invariably require thinking on your feet under great pressure and with lots of competition.

[-Jrabbit]

Comment away, it's sympathy you will find in short supply.

Exactly so.

It's a level playing field in that all students have to sit for the exam. My point is, you knew the rules of grading/testing going in. Rail all you want about how poorly it relates to the ultimate professional environment. Regardless, if you don't pass through the crucible like everyone else you are de facto unworthy of reaching that environment.

Once you've gotten there, perhaps you can do something about it.

OK, done now. Sorry for being such a b1tch, Whaleboy. Good luck in your travails.

[Whaleboy]

Why should 'humanities' be excused the tough ride of exams compared to science-based subjects?

Because of the little pragmatism I afford myself - if you're to be tested on your ability to, say, derive something in Maths or describe a relationship in science, it's far easier to cheat if you have time to prepare coursework. I would argue that a scientist's experimental ability is different to their evaluative ability and imo these skills are equally evaluated by set investigations and examinations.

With humanities, I could quite happily look up an argument on Wikipedia but if I'm able to express that argument, then that's the very skill on which I'm being tested! It's far easier to tell plagiarism from your own work in fields such as Eng Lit.

Jobs require things to be done in a certain time, and the interviews to get the jobs invariably require thinking on your feet under great pressure and with lots of competition.

In exam conditions? I don't think so. You get similar pressure and competition in coursework but you also get to exercise your ability to research and read around a given topic. I've worked in quite a few high pressure sales exec - type roles and in my experience these skills are more important than the ability to rattle of "something" vaguely coherent under extreme pressure. If you're in that situation then you need to look at your own time management skills.

[Whaleboy]

It's a level playing field in that all students have to sit for the exam. My point is, you knew the rules of grading/testing going in. Rail all you want about how poorly it relates to the ultimate professional environment. Regardless, if you don't pass through the crucible like everyone else you are de facto unworthy of reaching that environment.

Once you've gotten there, perhaps you can do something about it.

For sure, but right now I just want to sound out my day-old opinion on the matter and find out if I'm capable of making any sense to you chaps . Everyone knows the rules of course and everyone signs up to them on the understanding that they must jump through some pre-defined hoops in order to end up with the qualification they need. That's not to say that the modus operandi of assessment can't or indeed shouldn't be improved.

[Ben Kenobi]

Good luck!

I seem to remember you and I being of like mind about university way back when.

I just finished mine last April.

Hope all goes well for you.

[LordShiva]

Exams pwn

[Traianvs]

Ugh. It's 6 o' clock in the morning, and I just finished my paper on conceptual integration theory I have an upcoming exam of Economics in three days and I have yet to begin

Whaleboy: I am one 100% in agreement! Exams are stupid. If I find out I have an exam for a very dull and boring subject, chances are one 100% that I will skip all the lectures and just read the book, copy notes from someone else or learn the slides instead... After my exam I'll simply forget all about it. Hooray for procrastination and student life
Instead when I am forced to study a certain topic or something, it's imperative to read up on a few things apart from the basic info that is given in the lectures. This method also develops mental abilities a lot more than a mere exam, even if that involves creative thinking.

My ideal world would be: all lectures after noon, a concise introduction on every subject with the proper bibliographic references to more advanced and specialized topics, a few assignments on the standard material and finally some large papers or similar means of evaluation on a few personally preferred topics.

With regards to that last aspect, WTF do I want to know about or do with cognitive linguistics. It's pointless, boring, a hollow load of crap with an excessively complicated but obsolete jargon. let me do something useful and interesting to me!

[/end frustation]

[Wiglaf]

Re: Exams

Originally posted by Whaleboy
Seriously, what is the point of them? You sit there, in my case the only person in the hall who had finished puberty (having driven the best part of 50/60 miles to Cambridge because no-one in Northampton will let you sit the exams as a private/independent student) feeling like your hand's about to fall out, stressed, tired, and pissed off that half the questions on your paper haven't even been covered by the course.

Under these, frankly, less than ideal circumstances, you're supposed to come up with work that represents the best of your ability. Now I don't know about you but while this approach might be good if you're taking an A Level in Bomb disposal, I don't know a great many historians or students of literature that need to perform against the clock with an invigilator's gun to their head.

So why take them? Surely for Eng lit and history it would make more sense to produce some kind of dissertation or at least an extended essay; an opportunity to measure you ability in the subject not how well you perform under pressure (in my case, not very well at all).

Put your SparkNotes away, I am tired of you playing in the minor leagues. Where would anyone be if all they did was piss and moan? NEWSFLASH your exam was not going to explode and burn you to death, stop comparing writing bull**** and getting piss grades to disarming bombs and actually helping people. No one is fooled by your analogies, and I think that your employer or teacher should start testing your urine as a result of this fiasco. I am embarrassed to be a human after reading your post.

[VetLegion]

I am embarrassed to be a human after reading your post.

[SlowwHand]

It doesn't seem long ago and I was having economic exams. Accounting exams. Manufacturing concept exams.
Now, prostate exams.

[Proteus_MST]

So what is the lesser of the 2 evils?

[SlowwHand]

Give me that accounting exam any day.

[Agathon]

If you think taking exams is bad, try grading them.

No method of assessment by coursework or exams is perfect, because ambitious but stupid people will game the system. It's rather like an arms race.

In the humanities, the actual grading system doesn't mean that much. If you find yourself getting a lot of A+ grades over the course of your degree, then you are probably a good student.

If you find you're getting B+/A- grades or lower, then you're probably a hardworking dumb****. The good news is that our society has many more places for them.

The really smart people tend to spend more time on other things than on their coursework. The brightest guy I ever met was basically an autodidact. I would see him in the library at odd hours devouring books on all sorts of weird subjects. I remember he did a seminar presentation for a course I was a TA in and we were supposed to meet with the students to go over their stuff before they presented it. I just took one look at his and said "OK - it's great" and bought him a coffee because he wanted to talk about some other stuff. In the end he got a standing ovation from the other students for his presentation. I often wonder what happened to him.