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It is widely believed that the performance of students must be assessed in some way or another. Although some may feel that the convenient way is by grading students' essays or presentations, I think that exams are the best method of assessment due to their positive impact on students.
To begin with, preparing for an exam helps students remember the topic for a longer period of time.
Evidently, they usually do not have access to books or other study materials during an exam. Consequently, they must memorize the material, whereas those students who give a presentation or write an essay do not have to memorize anything. For example, at university, I once had to write an exam about a very complex topic. When I started studying, I did not remember the topics that we had covered in lectures and tutorials in detail. However, after I had studied for a while, I realized that I already had a good grasp of the topic and that I was able to remember a lot of details. In contrast, in the other courses where I had given a presentation or handed in an essay, I was not able to
recall the majority of the content. Certainly, this was due to the fact that there had been no need for memorization. In short, if I had not been required to write an exam in this class, I most certainly would not have been able to remember so many details.
Secondly, exams allow students to learn how to present information effectively. Obviously, if they have to take an exam under timed conditions, they must present a lot of information in a short period of time. Thus, students learn how to adapt to time constraints. In other words, they acquire the skill to convey their ideas to others in a very concise way. Clearly, this skill can prove very useful in their future careers. This is best demonstrated by my personal experience. I once took a course where I had to write a very difficult exam in just one hour. In fact, I
had a lot of knowledge about this topic, but I simply did not have the time to write about everything I knew. Hence, I had to summarize information while making sure that I did not forget to include relevant points. After I had written the exam I found it much easier to write in a concise way. I am sure that if I had not taken this exam, I would not have learned how to write effectively.
In conclusion, I am of the opinion that exams are the best way to test students. I feel this way because exams help students memorize the topic for a longer time and because they give them the opportunity to learn how to write effectively.