Taken by surprise
Hot Talk
Exams are always a nightmare for students. In addition to the usual tests, some schools and colleges conduct surprise tests to check whether students are well-versed with the taught topic. But many students do not like surprise tests and consider them to be a burden. However, some students feel that surprise tests help them to score better.
Fight your corner
Bhavya
BMS Women’s College
“In our college, we seldom have surprise tests, but I really like them since I am regular with my syllabus. They increase our confidence level and unlike mugging and reproducing syllabus, when you write a test spontaneously, you will know your level of preparedness in the subject. Students’ are forced to study on regular basis for the fear of getting caught unprepared and they are also useful in preparing for final exams.”
Malati
BMS College
“To be frank, I am not a hardworking student but fear of surprise tests forces me to study. Many times I have scored low marks in surprise tests and that actually gave me a comprehensive idea of where I stood in the subject. In regular tests, we compete with other students but in surprise tests we compete with ourselves.”
Usha
MES College
“I hardly find time to study between my music and dance classes, but I am very attentive in the classroom. Surprise tests never make me panic as they test our understanding of the subject. They are perfect tools for self evaluation.”
Mahesh
Osteen College
“In my opinion, surprise tests don’t help anybody. What is the use of writing a test without any preparation? We have many extracurricular activities and scoring low marks in surprise tests have badly affected my confidence levels. Surprise test results are not indicative of our abilities in general.”
Deepa
BMS College
“Surprise tests are really scary. In regular tests, I always score well but do badly in surprise tests. We need more hands-on and practical education rather than marks oriented exams and tests. That’s why I am totally against test driven education whether surprise or otherwise.”
Lokapriya
PES College
“With the semester system, we are hardly have time for extracurricular activities. Exam tension has kept us away from playgrounds and cultural activities. Surprise tests too belong to the same category. We are already burdened with daily assignments, seminars and regular lectures, so surprise tests only worsen the situation. Since marks obtained in surprise tests are not included in the final results, they are a mere waste of time.”
