People are always surprised to hear me respond to “How’s exam season going?” with “I don’t have any,” but it’s been my reality for a while now. Of course, the memory of long tests haunts me as I remember the hours of studying all too well, but if you’re looking for some insight into a test-free finals week, you’ve found it.
Now, when I say I don’t have any exams, I don’t mean I have zero finals at all, I just mean that my finals are different. They’re more project or paper-based. There’s definitely pros and cons to this new system.
For me, I feel as though I learn a lot more when doing project based exams. This isn’t a viable option for all subjects, but for the ones it is, students are able to take what they’ve learned and demonstrate mastery rather than struggling to cram all the facts into their head only to forget everything they’ve learned as soon as the test’s over.
When it comes to essays instead of finals, this can also be an interesting way to test knowledge in a less-typical, fact-based class. However, these essays can definitely pile up if you’re taking a lot of classes that have opted for essays over exams.
My biggest struggle with finals week is usually the classes that have assigned group projects for the final grade. We’ve all dealt with crappy group projects before, and the stress associated with them is only amplified when the project is worth a good percentage of your grade. It can be tough for everyone to put in their best effort while also studying non-stop for their other classes.
I definitely believe some classes like math or science need to keep their exam based finals,, but an English exam doesn’t always benefit its students. Writing about what you’ve read offers much more opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the text than filling out multiple choice questions that are ultimately deemed right or wrong by your professor’s specific interpretation of the book.
As a business major, I’ve really enjoyed having project-based finals for my major classes. Creating company models with my classmates allows me to put my knowledge into action and feel more prepared for the real world as opposed to being quizzed on other company’s histories. This is still important information to study in class. However, a final that prepares you for the real world will always be better in my book.