Immediately any student sees this topic; they will roll their eyes and think to themselves, how can examination be the greatest thing to have ever happened to them? I don’t want to sound like the popular local phrase “I too know, or Efiko” so I will confess I didn’t like exams as a student myself. But after I graduated and began facing life like Matadors in a bullfight, I soon realised the role examinations had played in my life.

Sometimes, a man’s greatest motivation isn’t the pursuit of happiness—no. The greatest motivation of a man can be the fear of failing.  

Over time I have sat and questioned which force is greater between the fear of failing and the joy of succeeding? I have a feeling the answer will be differently interpreted by diverse people.

Many students detest exams because they feel it’s an unnecessary burden. Still, if we can take a closer look, we will see that the only reason why most students read nowadays is because of their exams. Many students study to pass and not to gain the requisite knowledge they need for their personal growth. It was Nicky Verd who said, “You are yet to catch up with the real world if you have never studied any concepts outside the school syllabus or read any books besides the textbooks school forces you to read. Most people are programmed, not educated.” It turns out he is right. The majority of students today prefer to be programmed than to be educated. 

Let’s be factual with ourselves, how many students read their notes and textbooks before examination dates come knocking like a property-owner coming to collect his long-overdue rent? Maybe one in a million; who knows. But whatever that figure is, it won’t be much to count. Most students only read when exam fast approaches like a speed train.

If students don’t read what they are being taught, what’s the essence of going to school and attending lectures? What’s the meaning of education when students won’t read? How do we develop as an individual? If we don’t grow individually, how can the nation rise?

Today, many students debate if examinations are the actual test of knowledge or an avenue to debase confidence. But exams are not only a test of reasoning and results; they go beyond that. Examination seeks to tell you one of two things depending on the trial’s outcome, if it’s a pass or a fail. It aims to tell you how good or bad you are and if your level of preparation is perfect or needs a retouch.

It doesn’t matter how much you loathe examination as a student; take it from me. It is the best thing that will ever happen to you.

Examinations teach students discipline. According to EduGrantng.org, students need to test their abilities adequately, and this is why assessments are considered a necessity. As a life skill, discipline helps students identify strengths and weaknesses they need to build on before leaving school. It will help students prepare for the future and stay ahead of their goals. Focus, attention to detail and retention are core skills anyone needs to break into the labour market. 

Assessment help students develop the skills required to work and focus under pressure. It teaches them endurance (how to keep going even when they are weary). I remember when I was writing my final papers, and on a particular night, after a hectic day, I decided to sleep rather than read. Immediately I lay on the bed, and I heard a big slap on my shoulder. I stood up to look around at what woke me up and found it was nobody but my brain and imagination playing a fast one on me. My brain kept pushing me to wake up. Read and pass, and you wouldn’t have to come and write this course again next year. It is either you lose the sleep today or lose it some other time. What option did you think I choose? I decided to lose that sleep that day. Examination helps to sharpen the consciousness of your mind. 

If students master how to keep calm and navigate the storm, they’ll be able to sort themselves out in the worst situations post-university life. 

One of the most remarkable skills anyone can have in life is time management, and nobody ever lacks this skill more than students. The author of the 7 habits of highly effective people, Stephen R. Covey, said, “The key is not in spending time, but in investing it.” And I must say that until the examination period comes, most students spend time and don’t invest it. It is the examination that allows them to invest time in actual learning and mental development. 

When I was a student, I didn’t have a plan for most days other than to go to the lecture hall, and after we were done, we gist within our friends till we ran out of what to say. The question is, what kind of students uses their time like this during the examination period? Maybe the casual ones. I can’t imagine students spending hours chit-chatting when they have Chemistry 506, Accounting 419, Medics 666 and Philosophy 123 coming up.

We might not want to accept this fact, but the biggest reason students develop themselves in school isn’t because of the future but for examination. They aren’t thinking of where to work and when; they are just thinking of scaling that dark hole called examination and not fall into it in the process of avoiding it. 

Additionally, academic life is demanding; students need to bend themselves to cope with various situations. Through this, they can achieve their potential by doing the right thing: studying well for exams.

Benefits do not end there, 

The actual test of a student’s aptitude is the assessment of such abilities, and through it, they can discover innate talent and develop them. When students meet the grades, the qualifications and credibility it brings cannot be gotten elsewhere. When I was in Junior Secondary School (Jss 3), we sat for an aptitude test where we were asked our interests and some other miscellaneous questions. The answers you give will enable the ministry of education to suggest what department you will fit into in Senior Secondary School based on your answers. I don’t know if that still exists today. But what I’m saying is, examination can help you discover what you love and don’t.

 

We might not want to accept this fact, but the biggest reason students develop themselves in school isn’t because of the future but for examination. They aren’t thinking of where to work and when; they are just thinking of scaling that dark hole called examination and not fall into it in the process of avoiding it. 

 

Examinations improve our knowledge indirectly. To put it correctly, because students know they’ll write exams, they push themselves to learn more, and that’s how they become better persons. 

Many students can comfortably avoid schools because there are no exams. Some students won’t care to attend classes or study, but when examination comes, you will see faces you have never even seen before in your lesson.

Accept it or not, examination is the greatest thing to have ever happened to students and education, and we must all embrace it. 

Education is life, and without examination, what will become of learning?

Think about it.

…to be continued