Every student sits for an exam. The main purpose of an exam is to test for what we know, whether we've got our facts right, and how well we can answer questions. It's not about how smart you are and all that. But I think it's something students these days cannot help thinking.

You see, the world now is advancing rapidly, and technology is continually being improved, and people with a higher level of knowledge are needed to replace the ageing workforce. And who makes up these replacements other then the youths of today?

Also, the education syllabus for students now has been made more difficult, and I'm sure students today feel the pressure. They are expected to learn more, and at the same time score well for their examinations. They have many expectations to fulfill, such as that of their teachers and parents.

With all these things in mind, it is hard for students to not regard exams as something very quantitative. Exams are the record to show your ability in a certain field, and this record will carry you forward in your future, especially for university and job applications.The effort you put in will not be accounted for, just the final outcome.

I think this is unavoidable, but at the same time it takes away the beauty of learning from us. We learn for the sake of the examinations, and with this mindset, learning is not fun anymore. Furthermore, with high competition levels among students, the pressure is added. And the worst thing is, this cannot be helped.

The ideal learning experience to me is one where we can explore what we want, when we want, and we will not be graded on how well we do in it. We'll just be naturally curious and inquire freely without the idea of having examinations in our head. It'll all be for fun, and when we're done, we can move forward and explore more. However, this is definitely not possible, as the whole idea is very relaxed, and is very subjective, of course.

On another note, qualifications are indeed very important. They open doors for you, they give you opportunities. They're proof that you have the ability to do things, and the final outcome is often viewed as a reflection of your skills. That's the only thing people can judge you by. And that is also why marks do matter.

I guess the main challenge students of today face is to balance the two, and ensure that one brings benefit to the other. For example, learning techniques/methods that are suited to a certain individual should help him or her so much so that the final outcome shows it.

Every student sits for an exam. The main purpose of an exam is to test for what we know, whether we've got our facts right, and how well we can answer questions. It's not about how smart you are and all that. But I think it's something students these days cannot help thinking.

You see, the world now is advancing rapidly, and technology is continually being improved, and people with a higher level of knowledge are needed to replace the ageing workforce. And who makes up these replacements other then the youths of today?

Also, the education syllabus for students now has been made more difficult, and I'm sure students today feel the pressure. They are expected to learn more, and at the same time score well for their examinations. They have many expectations to fulfill, such as that of their teachers and parents.

With all these things in mind, it is hard for students to not regard exams as something very quantitative. Exams are the record to show your ability in a certain field, and this record will carry you forward in your future, especially for university and job applications.The effort you put in will not be accounted for, just the final outcome.

I think this is unavoidable, but at the same time it takes away the beauty of learning from us. We learn for the sake of the examinations, and with this mindset, learning is not fun anymore. Furthermore, with high competition levels among students, the pressure is added. And the worst thing is, this cannot be helped.

The ideal learning experience to me is one where we can explore what we want, when we want, and we will not be graded on how well we do in it. We'll just be naturally curious and inquire freely without the idea of having examinations in our head. It'll all be for fun, and when we're done, we can move forward and explore more. However, this is definitely not possible, as the whole idea is very relaxed, and is very subjective, of course.

On another note, qualifications are indeed very important. They open doors for you, they give you opportunities. They're proof that you have the ability to do things, and the final outcome is often viewed as a reflection of your skills. That's the only thing people can judge you by. And that is also why marks do matter.

I guess the main challenge students of today face is to balance the two, and ensure that one brings benefit to the other. For example, learning techniques/methods that are suited to a certain individual should help him or her so much so that the final outcome shows it.