How do we distinguish between those students who understand the material and those who pretend to know it? Are final exams a hassle or do they prepare us for our future college career and success? The answer lies in the controlled environment of final exams.

Stress is generally seen as a negative mental state. According to the American Psychological Association, “A survey found that nearly half of all teens — 45 percent — said they were stressed by school pressures.” When students think about being stressed, they think about the amount of time they spend worrying, panicking, and becoming angry about the life around them. What they are reluctant to acknowledge is their tendency to excel under stressful conditions. According to Mary Alvord, a clinical psychologist, “A little stress is a good thing. It can motivate students to be organized.” Those who are stressed tend to be students who do well in their schoolwork. They are students who put in extra work to ensure their understanding of the material and taking a final exam – while also stress-inducing – will only work to reveal their strong work ethic and intellect.

What separates those who understand the class material and who achieve outstanding grades from those who pass the class without much effort?  Cheating – or more specifically, a willingness to avoid the pitfalls of cheating or taking the easy way out.   Cheating contributes to passing grades, from homework to tests, throughout the marking period. Throughout the school year, it is nearly impossible for teachers to monitor whether or not students completed all of the work on their own, copied from a classmate, or found answers online for every grade processed. It’s in the students’ best interest to distinguish between those who know the information from those who don’t.  Placing students in a closely monitored environment where they are forced to take final exams prepares them for future situations where cheating is not an option. Only those who understand the material and are able to apply it will be able to obtain a good GPA that incorporates the final exam grade.

Final exams are a necessary evil that prepares high-school students for their future college career. College is broken into semesters, where professors generally rely on final exams to test their students’ ability to apply the information they learned. The absence of final exams in the high-school environment can lead to future failure in college or, at the very least, a sense of shock when final exams roll around.

The inclusion of final exams in high school prevents lazy work habits that could be carried over with a student into college. Passing final exams is a method of holding a student accountable for the information s/he is expected to learn. What happens when society takes the merit out of achievement of status or title? Perhaps you’ve heard of the fall of the Roman Empire. Merit and deserved acknowledgment of success are what this country thrives on. Success isn’t handed down; it’s achieved through applying hard work to every barrier faced, including final exams.