CCTs are notorious for pulling down the GPA of students. CCTs have the ability to make even the most brilliant of students feel utterly inadequate. CCTs cause sleepless nights, the eruption of pimples and even the sprouting of white hair. While these might not be the most convincing of reasons to justify why CCTs should be scrapped, I do have some valid reasons which will help you realize this.
In my years as a student, I have realized one undeniable fact – the information which I have crammed into my head overnight in order to sit for a test the next day have hardly been retained for more than a week. This is precisely what countless students do the night before they sit for their CCTs. There is just too much cluttering the lives of many students that it becomes difficult for them to have enough time to thoroughly study for tests. As a result, the information just cannot find ways to sink into the “long-term memory” file in the brain.
This method of learning obviously takes a huge toll on students and many publicly proclaim that they “hate” certain subjects without explicitly citing a reason. I believe that the stress that they undergo and the difficulty they encounter when they study subjects might just be the reason behind this phenomenon. Ultimately, CCTs might destroy the joy and love of learning which should rightly reside in the hearts of each and every student. In the future, these students might not actively continue to learn because of these experiences as students.
Of course, we must not overlook the good points of CCTs. CCTs give students a goal to work for and a direction for learning. Without them, students might not have the drive to work hard and might not find anything to work towards.
However, with regard to good points, CCTs stop there. If we think about it, the main reason why tests are carried out is that it should be a good gauge of the standard of students. However, after careful examination, I have realized that CCTs might not be a good gauge of the standard after all. The CCTs are just a 1-off test and the results of the test are based solely on that one performance. Brilliant students who might not be functioning optimally on a particular day might not do as well as other students even though they might far surpass them in ability. Furthermore, it is also possible that students with low ability might happen to have encountered a similar question and therefore was able to answer the question at the test. This surely is not a true reflection of the student’s ability!
Think about how much school material you have forgotten. Think of the times you stayed up till 4am to study for the test the next day. Think of the people who were worse than you at maths and beat you by a single mark. So let me ask you - should the CCTs be scrapped?
