Most schools, including Mount Pisgah’s, have finals worth 15-20% of the student’s grade, but is this fair? 

While some argue that final exams effectively show what students have learned, they often create unnecessary stress without representing a student’s capabilities. 

Some students and teachers may have different opinions on final exams, especially at a college preparatory school.

“Final exams are important for preparing students for college,” said math teacher Jody Johnson.

There are still many concerns with final exams, including the cause of extreme stress and anxiety. Many students worry so much about the exam that they struggle to perform well, even if they understand the material. 

English teacher Kasey Saari is opposed to giving final exams at the end of a semester.  

“I am anti-final exams because I think there are other ways to showcase a student’s learning and growth in a class that is more relevant to the real world.”

Test anxiety can make a hard-working student seem like they have not learned anything all year, which is unfair. Learning should be about gaining knowledge, not how well one handles pressure.  

Another issue is that final exams do not represent a student’s overall work. A student may work hard all year completing homework and assignments and being successful in major and minor assessments, but one lousy final exam score can significantly lower their grade. 

This makes final exams unrealistic in measuring students’ progress and performance. Instead of focusing on one test, schools should focus on a student’s performance over time. 

Junior Faith Dornan makes a similar point. 

“I don’t think it’s fair that one grade can change the outcome of your grade that you have worked on for months.”

So, what is an alternative? A project as a substitute for a final exam helps students apply the knowledge they’ve learned, problem-solve and work together or independently. 

This allows students to tie together what they learned from the year while understanding the material rather than memorizing it. 

Additionally, students almost always forget the material right after taking the exam. This is because exams encourage memorization rather than understanding, and students do not remember the information for future reference. 

Education should focus on long-term learning, not short-term memorizing.