Exams
Created | Updated May 21, 2004
It has occured to me that the very idea of examinations is a flawed concept. From the outside, I imagine that it appears to work: it certainly helps separate the strong from the weak, the stable from the suicidally depressed. Natural selection in action, I suppose. From the inside however, the view is a lot less pretty. Nothing is beautiful from every perspective. Everything is in some way flawed.
The effect of exam stress is greatly underestimated by the world at large. Having completed a school exam, it is always extremily frustrating to hear passing comments from newscasters, MPs or random OAPs who simply, as if it means nothing at all, say 'exams are easier than they used to be.' This is very insulting at the best of times, but try saying it to all the GCSE students who took stimulants to stay awake while they fight to learn their notes until the sun rises.
Try saying it to people who have contemplated or attempted suicide before their twenties simply because they couldn't cope with the pressure. And try saying it to the people who succeeded.
That was my rant. I'm done now.
The effect of exam stress is greatly underestimated by the world at large. Having completed a school exam, it is always extremily frustrating to hear passing comments from newscasters, MPs or random OAPs who simply, as if it means nothing at all, say 'exams are easier than they used to be.' This is very insulting at the best of times, but try saying it to all the GCSE students who took stimulants to stay awake while they fight to learn their notes until the sun rises.
Try saying it to people who have contemplated or attempted suicide before their twenties simply because they couldn't cope with the pressure. And try saying it to the people who succeeded.
That was my rant. I'm done now.
