How big a difference do final exams make?

Mike S: How big a difference do final exams make?
Many people seem to think that final exams mean everything to how your life will unfold. Is this true? Personally, I think that it will matter a lot more when you’re older how smart you are now, not how smart you were in grade 11/12.

I think people treat final and the education system too seriously, and not the actual learning seriously enough. What are your opinions on final exams?

Answers and Views:

Answer by phoenix51200
Finals are important, and they’ll open up what you can do after high school. At my school they always tell us what percent of our mark a final will be, usually 30% in my grade (10 and 11.) That’s a big difference! And if you want to go to university your grades had better be good, finals included. But I think that with all the stress they put on the importance of finals, a lot of us tend to seize up and do badly. Forget everything I just said; treat them like just another test. Sure, study, but don’t preoccupy yourself with how you’d better do good or else. Trust me, it doesn’t help. Don’t build up stress before the exam, just walk in and write it. If all you can think about is how important an exam is – you could never remember the answers to the questions! You’re right, the learning is the important part. Get that down and finals are no problem. But they’re the way people know you’ve learnt what you were supposed to, and the records will stay with you.