My beef with exams
I have final exams this week and have been cramming the last few days. But it all seems pointless.
As I understand it, the goal of an exam is to re-familiarize oneself with all the little facts forgotten over the period of the semester, hopefully to the point that the memory will be retained forever. As a member of the “Google generation” I find this paradigm worthless. I remember basic concepts, and from there if I ever need to know the answer to a trivial question, it’s ten seconds away on my iPod or computer via the Internet. I can leave that brain capacity for something less trivial.
I’ve grown accustomed to the presence of the Internet and organize my knowledge with various tools available on the Internet. For example, I use Delicious to manage my bookmarks. Every time I learn something on the Internet, I save the link to Delicious and tag it with all the categories I think I’ll need to find the information again. I remember the concept, forget the details, and go on with my life. I’ve been using this for a few years now, and it’s definitely a more efficient information repository than my brain.
I wonder how long it will take acedamia to catch up. I want a computer available during exams, just like I have during the rest of my life. If I’m being judged on my ability to recall information, I should get all the normal tools. Otherwise, the grade is not an accurate representation of my ability. I’d be happy to hear a defense of the traditional exam system—I just don’t get it.
