Exam Seasons
For a change, let me talk of exams and books and studies…though I know that most of you consider it a bore.
I know people who believe that exams don’t mean anything. “Exams do nothing to gauge a person. You can’t call one a fool on the basis of his marks; they just tell you how much a person has mastered the act of mugging up," P argued with anyone who dared to think otherwise.
Everyone scoffed and whispered as he told this, but today, I quite agree with him.
I remember the “exam seasons” during my professional course. It came twice a year, during April and then somewhere around October. Preparations usually begin a month earlier, with regular trips to the college library. The Xerox machines worked full time and some of us formed study groups. However, we did continue to frequent ice-cream parlors, theatres and popular eating joints, but we also made time for some studying as well. We would even find time to pluck mangoes from trees which were laden with fruit, in the hostel compound. Even the “hep” girls would have photocopied notes in their hands all the while.
There was a studious group (usually a few girls) in each class who would take lecture notes during those boring sessions while others spend time gazing out of the window, or passed messages around the class. Their notes were in high demand during exam-seasons, and I know of quite a few of them who literally hide their books under the cot, so that only they benefited from the notes, and nobody equaled them in terms of marks.
The nights at college hostel were always fun-filled these days – I know of girls who ward their sleep off by making pots of coffee for others! Most nights were filled with jokes, stories about ghosts, and snacks. We took quick naps of an hour each and took turns to stay awake and wake up others after an hour. Even in lunch room, we shouted theories and procedures out loud enough for others to learn by listening. We would walk to college together muttering formulae and theories aloud.
But when the exams began, we realized we were fools.
Each day there would be a couple of exams. We, electrical engineering students had tough theory papers for which the classes were engaged by junior lecturers and they were not that good. Most of us expected questions out of popular text books and those which had to do with application of knowledge, but the questions turned out to be on least expected topics many a times. So predictably, only a select five who read more than three text books on each paper faired the test.
For invigilators, we had lecturers who were our college staff. They stood a safe distance away, looking suspiciously at the boys who walked in with small notebooks in hand, and some of them wearing crumbled shirts or even bathroom slippers. There were students who looked as if they had not bathed/shaved for years! It was a trend during the exam seasons, to show off that they were studious! Those intending to copy settled down and exchanged code language with their peers on how they would communicate.
Sometimes boys dared to make a trip or two to the toilet in between. Before the exams, notebooks and library books had been carefully hidden there. The invigilator let them out, and they rushed back minutes later, so they could quickly write out whatever they had mugged in the toilet. Generously, answers were whispered audibly, so everyone in the vicinity got to hear the answer. The angry invigilator often interrupted them. She would then make futile attempts to frighten them. Nothing worked. The discussion groups simply got bigger and bolder.
There were groups who would scramble through bits of paper stuck on their wrists, duppattas, instrument boxes, or even slippers! Most of the invigilators simply sat in front, staring vacantly out of the window.
But often there were a lot of us who felt strongly about not copying. The exams really were a farce. Those of us who studied, disliked the fact that most of them copied and got away!
But as I turn back and look, I can find that most of them who copied have found better jobs and places than those who slogged! But who is to blame? The syllabus prescribed ancient, irrelevant topics. It taught all that we did not need to find a job, or take us to places! It lacked all that was actually needed. And what you needed to know the world outside, they knew. Everyone had some work experience to boast off. Jobs lay waiting for them. I don’t blame them. We do study a lot of unnecessary things that don’t help in any way. So maybe the solution to unethical means of writing exams is a completely new syllabus that prepares you for life ahead, instead of simply testing your mugging skills.
I know people who believe that exams don’t mean anything. “Exams do nothing to gauge a person. You can’t call one a fool on the basis of his marks; they just tell you how much a person has mastered the act of mugging up," P argued with anyone who dared to think otherwise.
Everyone scoffed and whispered as he told this, but today, I quite agree with him.
I remember the “exam seasons” during my professional course. It came twice a year, during April and then somewhere around October. Preparations usually begin a month earlier, with regular trips to the college library. The Xerox machines worked full time and some of us formed study groups. However, we did continue to frequent ice-cream parlors, theatres and popular eating joints, but we also made time for some studying as well. We would even find time to pluck mangoes from trees which were laden with fruit, in the hostel compound. Even the “hep” girls would have photocopied notes in their hands all the while.
There was a studious group (usually a few girls) in each class who would take lecture notes during those boring sessions while others spend time gazing out of the window, or passed messages around the class. Their notes were in high demand during exam-seasons, and I know of quite a few of them who literally hide their books under the cot, so that only they benefited from the notes, and nobody equaled them in terms of marks.
The nights at college hostel were always fun-filled these days – I know of girls who ward their sleep off by making pots of coffee for others! Most nights were filled with jokes, stories about ghosts, and snacks. We took quick naps of an hour each and took turns to stay awake and wake up others after an hour. Even in lunch room, we shouted theories and procedures out loud enough for others to learn by listening. We would walk to college together muttering formulae and theories aloud.
But when the exams began, we realized we were fools.
Each day there would be a couple of exams. We, electrical engineering students had tough theory papers for which the classes were engaged by junior lecturers and they were not that good. Most of us expected questions out of popular text books and those which had to do with application of knowledge, but the questions turned out to be on least expected topics many a times. So predictably, only a select five who read more than three text books on each paper faired the test.
For invigilators, we had lecturers who were our college staff. They stood a safe distance away, looking suspiciously at the boys who walked in with small notebooks in hand, and some of them wearing crumbled shirts or even bathroom slippers. There were students who looked as if they had not bathed/shaved for years! It was a trend during the exam seasons, to show off that they were studious! Those intending to copy settled down and exchanged code language with their peers on how they would communicate.
Sometimes boys dared to make a trip or two to the toilet in between. Before the exams, notebooks and library books had been carefully hidden there. The invigilator let them out, and they rushed back minutes later, so they could quickly write out whatever they had mugged in the toilet. Generously, answers were whispered audibly, so everyone in the vicinity got to hear the answer. The angry invigilator often interrupted them. She would then make futile attempts to frighten them. Nothing worked. The discussion groups simply got bigger and bolder.
There were groups who would scramble through bits of paper stuck on their wrists, duppattas, instrument boxes, or even slippers! Most of the invigilators simply sat in front, staring vacantly out of the window.
But often there were a lot of us who felt strongly about not copying. The exams really were a farce. Those of us who studied, disliked the fact that most of them copied and got away!
But as I turn back and look, I can find that most of them who copied have found better jobs and places than those who slogged! But who is to blame? The syllabus prescribed ancient, irrelevant topics. It taught all that we did not need to find a job, or take us to places! It lacked all that was actually needed. And what you needed to know the world outside, they knew. Everyone had some work experience to boast off. Jobs lay waiting for them. I don’t blame them. We do study a lot of unnecessary things that don’t help in any way. So maybe the solution to unethical means of writing exams is a completely new syllabus that prepares you for life ahead, instead of simply testing your mugging skills.
posted by Soumya | 5:10 AM
2 Comments:
It's one thing to be successful in an academic setting but another to be successful in a job. Though many academic skills are transferable once you get a job, getting the job, a good job, takes another set of skills.
Office politics and learning how to move through an organization is something you can learn in college but that comes from extra cirricular activities - groups, clubs, student government, etc. One of the problems I've seen is that learning a subject - engineering, nursing, MD, JD, MBA, accountant, etc. helps you be good at the subject when you do it (that is why good grades are all the better since you can learn more about the subject) but you still need to know how to handle a professor, the school academic department, department head, etc. That's a different skill set.
The world gets ruled by those with good people skills (how to handle people not just get along) who also have academic skills (know a lot about a subject or many subjects). Those who coast may know how to study atthe last minute what they need for class and even if they copy or cheat, they may know how to finess the situation - not a good student, not a deep knowledge of the subject but slick - knowing how to handle yourself with others is always a valable skill. Learn it.
The Xerox machines worked full time and some of us formed study groups. However, we did continue to frequent ice-cream parlors, theatres and popular eating joints, but we also made time for some studying as well. We would even find time to pluck mangoes from trees which were laden with fruit, in the hostel compound. Even the “hep” girls would have photocopied notes in their hands all the while.
There was a studious group (usually a few girls) in each class who would take lecture notes durin........
soumya u have taken me to the past exactly
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