Do you think tests in academics actually work to help instill the knowledge you’re learning, or not?

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

In most academic settings, test scores are prioritized. They tell an administration how well a teacher is doing, they keep students working within that system but as many of us get older I don’t think we retain as much information as we learned in high school. I remember doing well on tests but I don’t remember what was on the tests.

No, test-taking doesn’t help you retain what you learn

Yes, it does help you retain what you learn

Testing has its merits but ultimately the way academia currently functions is a flawed system that doesn’t actually encourage learning, just memorization

[Bricealan]

You have to ask the question: How else do you measure what is being learned, if you don't test the students?

I dont' know where you went to college, or HS, but in college, our testing was thorough, and the testing was designed in such a way to determine if the student knew the difference between two difference schools of thought and you had to demonstrate that you knew the difference by answering questions that forced you to DEMONSTRATE what the differences were.

As an example: in Reasoning and Understanding Science ( a freshman, general college class) a student had to know, understand, and demonstrate that understanding by differentiating between Copernicus' and Kepler's theory of the Solar System. If you didn't know the theories, you could not accurately answer questions accordingly I could not, and knew my study methods sucked

[artgorgeous]

If you really understand the subject, you can always understand how formula works, for example. But if you just memorize the formula, without knowing how it works, then your grades are useless. There are lots of students with high grades, however when they graduate, they don't know anything. Whereas students with average grades might know much more about the subject overall.

[AverageNerd]

I think the application of what you're learning whether it's through experimenting or debating or just doing it allows people to retain more of what they learn. I don't remember a single history lesson I learned in school but I do remember going to the history museum and being able to interact with the exhibits.

[gothbxtch]

option three