Photo: Telegraph

In the process of learning, we understand one-third of the matter in the first try, then some more is understood when we’re studying (more like cramming) for exams and the remaining parts only settles in our brain after the tests are taken. Not to overlook the fact that when you start learning to just pass the exam what you actually do is mug up the matter instead of understanding it. Learning something and passing an exam on that matter are definitely two different things. So why are we judged on the marks we get on an exam instead of the knowledge grasped by us? The examination conducted by boards like TU are considered to be most important in our society and career. As soon as these boards are around, we are pestered and nagged to stop doing anything other than studying. We give one examination for the subject that we have been trying to learn for an entire semester or year. We are given scores on that particular exam that we give; not considering any other aspect, the arduous work we’ve put or the other efforts we have made. Moreover, we must adapt to the curriculum of the course designed by these boards, no matter the interest or the opinion we have on the subject. Having to study the same set of curriculums without any interest, students are seen cramming during exams and not really learning anything from it. And, suppose you’re sick or you just blanked out during the exam, you’re done for, you’ve earned a certificate with a black star. There is no doubt that the impacts of our scores and the marks obtained during the TU boards examination are very high in our professional life. It is the basis on which we are given a job and without good marks, there is a lot of chance of not getting a job. But good marks in these boards does not ensure that we’ve actually learned and are able to apply our knowledge in the field. This might seem as some futile argument made by slackers but there are only so few cases where the good score in exams has made a difference in the latter part of our professional life. In real life, we are judged by our working capacity, ability to implicate the things we’ve learned and our confidence on the matters; definitely not by the marks we get. This is not to say that the board examinations shouldn’t be conducted at all. The exams and tests should not be the only attribute to decide our future, at the least it should not be given higher precedence. We should be judged on the hard work we put, through our assessments and assignments and the confidence we have in our subject matter. We should be given the liberty to think and work differently and every student should be judged on their own capabilities instead of drafting a system to judge every individual on the same criteria.