On Friday, I along with the other 125 students in my Biomedical Signals and Systems class entered our classroom for what we knew was going to be an absolutely grueling second midterm exam. Fourier Transforms, spectra, aliasing, physical realization of filters, just the very words could make any of us cringe that day as we had all crammed the night prior. I especially knew that this exam was crucial, as the first midterm was a struggle and a half for me. The very distinct feeling that filled my body after the first test started creeping back up as I sat down for the second test.
"Ok, you all can start."
It seemed as though only seconds after the proctors announced that they commanded that the exams be handed in as time had expired. I didn't feel quite so defeated this time around, but I know if the average on the first test was just over a 62% that I shouldn't be raising my hopes for round two. The difficulty of questions, the constant checking of formula tables, and the unbearable crunch for time all contribute to the sheer agony that is taking one of these tests. But I don't think this is an isolated incident, far from it, actually. I believe it speaks volumes about what the education system has become.
I can't speak for what college schooling was like 30 years ago, but from everything I hear about it from my parents and other adults, it sounds like an entirely different universe. These days, the AVERAGES on tests are in the 60s. I'm sorry, the 60s? You mean to tell me that the average student can barely recall more than half of the taught material correctly? That just doesn't sit right with me.
I shouldn't have to sit down for a test and wonder if I'm going to finish it or not. Quite frankly, making tests absurdly difficult and long is doing nothing for students. At all. Crunching us for time only causes stress levels to skyrocket and incite dumb mistakes to occur in favor of having time to prove that you actually know the material tested. I felt good coming out of my Signals test because I only had to intentionally punt one question and wrote an answer for everything. Sure I FEEL good but that means nothing because I still felt rushed the entire time and likely made an error somewhere that I ordinarily wouldn't just because of the nature of the test.
So, you tell me, does this sound like the right way to be putting students through a class? Or do you think that maybe the ridiculous tests can be toned down in favor of actually recalling material in a reasonable amount of time? If you ask me, I'll take the latter every time.
