Exams are important for their usefulness in measuring a student’s ability, at least that’s the theory.
Assessment is important for several reasons.
Formative assessment shows a teacher while a unit is in progress how well the student understands the concepts being presented. This gives her useful feedback as to which ideas she may need to revisit with a student or with the class.
Summative assessment comes at the conclusion of a unit to identify what the student has understood, retained, and can do.If there were no assessment, neither student nor teacher would know whether the student was learning and which areas need the student’s and teacher’s further attention.
There are many kinds of assessments, including one-on-one assessments, classroom assessments that come from observing a student over time, examinations that allow for the same exam to be given simultaneously to large numbers of students, authentic assessments that are about application in the sort of context that tests whether a student can use the material the way it is typically used, and so forth.Assessments differ in how long they take to give to all the students, how quickly the teacher and student can get feedback, and so forth.
Assessment is an important component of learning and reviewing material in preparation for assessment is a useful way of understanding material better and remembering it longer.
There are, of course, cases in which people fail such exams, but that’s because of their lack of motivation to sit and honestly study for a couple of days. All in all, pre-exam stress and be overcame just like stage fright. If you’re prepared there’s nothing to worry about.
