As final exams approach, you can feel the stress level on campus rise exponentially. Spending long nights at the library, attending office hours daily and overloading on coffee seems to consume students around this time of the year. The tension and anxiety that finals cause raises the questions over just how necessary these exams are.
It is estimated that 40 million adults experience anxiety throughout their lives and approximately 75 percent had their first panic attack by the age of 22, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Among these people, 24.5 percent of college students participating in this study revealed that they take psychotropic medication to ease their anxiety. This surprising fact about self-medicating may be excusable after over 30 percent of students reported being stressed constantly for an entire semester, according to MentalHelp. These eye-opening circumstances have caused many researchers and education professionals to debate the pros and cons of final exams.
Many argue that if one cannot handle the pressures of an exam, they will therefore struggle to handle more extreme stressors later in life. Others who are pro-exams believe that exams simply come with the territory of being a student and without them one’s success in a course cannot be accurately evaluated. Exams also expose young adults to judgment and constructive criticism, an element of life that is unavoidable. These claims are justifiable and a certain amount of tests are necessary to a cohesive learning environment. However, are final exams the best and only way to grade students?
Many students struggle with test taking and although they may understand the course material, they find that elements like test anxiety prevent them from getting a grade that precisely represents their intelligence level. Besides, final exams are not the only way to test one’s knowledge. One option is having the final exam be a project that allows students to critically think and test what they’ve learned in the classroom in a real-world setting. Another option would be have students write an essay about a topic taught in the course, a task that many find less stressful than cramming for a three hour test. Based on the obviously high depression and anxiety percentages among college students, these alternatives should be considered to help ease stress and lower these horrific suicide rates.
Whether or not you have no finals this semester or four, please make sure during the next few weeks you take time for yourself to de-stress. Take breaks in between studying, go for walks, have self-care nights, hang out with friends, or anything else that will help you focus on your wellbeing. Your mental health is important and no exam should have to compromise that. And most importantly if you need help, ask! Your friends, professors, administrators, and counselors are all available and care about you. Exams are important, but your happiness is more so.
Sources
https://www.debate.org/opinions/are-final-exams-necessary-for-school
https://thebutlercollegian.com/?p=31314
https://www.verywellmind.com/college-and-teen-suicide-statistics-3570768
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/most-stressful-time-semester-finals
https://adaa.org/finding-help/helping-others/college-students/facts