The thing I want to say is, 'Doesn't it make you tired of exams when you see how schools go on (by giving you exams until you're not sure how long you've been taking them and you're not sure when the cycle will end)?'. If you're a student like me, you need to go through all of this, too, and I won't blame you if you have a nervous breakdown. I'll explain what "all of this" is in a minute.
No.1:
Schools (and most of your family) insist that good marks are the only things that matter.
This might influence you to:
a) Act out and get bad marks on purpose. Don't try at all.
b) Worry so much about marks that you half kill yourself trying, and when you don't get enough of them, analyze all the reasons why your paper wasn't as good as someone else's, and feel inferior.
This might (nearly certainly) send you into the depths of despair, from which it might be hard to extract yourself. You know how you hear of people committing suicide because of pressure from school and exams? I guess this might be the reason. Don't do anything like that, okay?
My mother always says it's trying your best and understanding what you are writing about that matters. I have a friend who works harder than anyone else I know. She studies long before anyone else has opened their books for the exams, and yet she fails in a lot of subjects. I don't know why. She doesn't seem to know either. But I think it's because she worries too much. She's worried about what her parents wil say, what she'll do. So don't worry too much, ok? You and I need a clear head in our exam.
No.2: (I've just realized how mortifying it will be if I get bad marks after this publishing this post)
(And that's not no.2)
Do you ever feel (especially if you live in Asia, like me) that your schools are trying to get you to memorize your syllabus? Have you gone through chapter 1 so many times that it's gotten etched into your head? Don't you wish they'd teach us something new to stimulate our brains? We could learn something new ourselves, at home, if we've got the Internet or a library nearby, but not with the pressure of exams on our heads,! I could learn something extra about chemistry, for example, but I need to finish my syllabus first, right? (That should teach me not to be lazy. I can do it and I should.) by the way, have your schools ever told you that if you forget to write it exactly like it is in the book, or forget to write something that's in the book (but seems completely unrelated or irrelevant to you, or just not necessary to what you want to say) you won't get any marks? Did you know our schools here in Pakistan (at least the ones I've been to) don't let you give the Board exam in the regular way unless you pass the send-ups? They don't want to get their school disgraced.
I like to make my exam papers fun, though maybe that's not a good practice (I think it is, though). When I'm sad about my bad marks I don't even have the heart to try writing in an upbeat way, give my own examples, make up interesting answers. I've also noticed that I remember things better if I enjoy my exam (slightly, but that's enough. After all, it is an exam.)
No.3: (I don't remember no.3, you'll need to wait a little bit) No. I don't remember. But, I'll just say, good marks do matter, but understanding your subject is more important. Obviously the marks will matter in your future, but we don't just study to get a job, right? We need education to help our society. So, don't worry, enjoy your subject (science, math, languages, etc.) and work hard! I think you'll be okay.
Oh, yeah! Now I remember no.3! Our schools give so many exams, first you have your regular term exams (this is my school) twice a year, then you have your checkpoints (they're more like assessment tests, so they don't really count), then there's the send-up, then there's the pre-board and finally the board. Maybe you have it worse. But we are all in this together!😉 I think one day, we will make education more interesting and rewarding for all students (and teachers). The reform is already underway! Let's help it!
P.S. Don't be fooled by my title, I came up with it afterwards.
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