Thoughts on Exams

This Friday, we will have our first exam of the year. It's the first exam of the program, actually, since it's the first year! Since last weekend, several of us have been preparing for it. There is a substantial amount of material to cover, even though we've only been in school for about 3 full weeks. I'm experiencing that in graduate school, the instructors present a concept in class and then give a list of books that we should look at on our own to reference this concept. So it's a lot of work, making sure that I understand everything that has been presented. I mean, how "full" is "full understanding?" Especially with a subject like physical therapy, where abstract ideas are difficult to think about without specific cases to reference. That aside, ...

One of my profs made an interesting, thought-provoking comment to us yesterday: "Guys, we hate exams, too. We hate giving you exams, because we hate to see what it does to you. You get all stressed out and worried, and we don't like to see that. But it's the best thing we have to measure everyone's progress through the program."

Of course, putting myself in his place, I saw what he meant. Yes, I believe he was being sincere. Our faculty wants us to stay excited about what we're doing--it's their job to help us learn, and no one likes to help someone who isn't willing.
And so I started thinking. Not only do exams show teachers where the students are in their understanding, they force the students to achieve maximum possible understanding. On average, who at that anonymous college would, every weekend, on top of their seminar readings and props, take time to get together with classmates and look at how everything fits together? Are you kidding me? It was more like, "If I read 3 pages a minute, I can be done by 7pm, grab a bagel with cream cheese, and head down to the Riveria."
Finals week was always a looming dread, but also, a unifying illumination. Sure, I pulled some all-nighters, but as I wrote those exams, I felt the never-to-be-duplicated rush, "YES! This is IT! It makes so much SENSE! Time is the MEASURE of motion!" --perhaps having something to do with the amount of sleep mentioned above, but still...unique.

I don't anticipate that type of rush this coming Friday. Somehow, I think it's different with multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank -type material. But I am enjoying the earnest discussions that are starting among my classmates and the productive study groups that are unified by the same end.

I don't think I'll ever look forward to exams, but I'm definitely developing a solid appreciation for the discipline they force me to have.