by Norma Budden

Created on: April 01, 2008   Last Updated: April 04, 2008

The necessity of final exams is debated by several people. Some people claim exams are important while others claim they are a hindrance to the education process. For those who have completed high school and post-secondary education, it's easy to recognize the importance of having such exams.

Final exams are necessary for a successful education process to occur. Without them, there would be no way to evaluate just how much information and knowledge students have retained throughout the school year. To promote students who have forgotten most of the knowledge learned would cause setbacks during the following school year. Essentially, those students wouldn't be equipped with the necessary facts and skills required to succeed, and it's important to know these facts ahead of time.

Attending school requires an amount of dedication and commitment which too many students lack. While there are students who work toward education goals, hoping to attain careers in scientific, medical and legal professions - to name a few - there are those who wish to get by on the shirt tails of others. Instead of working hard themselves, they get others to complete their homework assignments and do their best to cheat on tests taken in the classroom.

Final exams help in learning about these students who cheat. It's easier for a student to cheat on an ordinary classroom test than in an exam room setting where teachers monitor the students more closely. In addition, on many exams, some of the questions require answers in the form of essays. This is not much of a problem for students who know what they are learning, but for those who are trying to take the easy way out - pretending to know their studies when they are really cheating - it is nearly impossible to receive acceptable grades. If it wasn't for final exams, teachers may never catch on to those who get good grades through cheating. Colleges and universities could be filled with students who are not worthy to be there, from an academic stand point.

Final exams are basically reviewing information which has been learned over a period of time. Students who have been highly motivated achievers in the classroom generally do well at exam time, unless a stressful situation has developed in their lives which causes a setback. However, students who complete their work sporadically will struggle during exam time because of poor study habits.

Students learn to organize their thoughts, or think more coherently, when studying for final exams as

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