When it really comes down to it, passing a test is just not enough.

It is true that while doing well on an exam will obviously boost a student’s grade in class, the education system pushes standardized testing, placement tests and many other forms of exams, creating questions as to whether this is an effective education method.

Rather than ordering students to memorize trivial information to spit out on an exam paper, instructors should take a moment to remember the true purpose of their careers: Education.

The focus of school should be on feeding students practical information that will help them have a greater understanding of a subject.

Testing, although it forces students to read and study the material, does not necessarily prove a student has knowledge of a subject. Many students cram for a test but do not retain much information after completing it.

For example, students often panic when an instructor tells them the final exam will be made up of remnants from the semester’s previous tests. Students may cram for the test, but do not retain much information after completing it.

Usually, students have to hastily re-learn the information before the exam. This proves that students are not retaining the material that tests force upon them; they are not actually learning, they are memorizing.

A better method of learning would be providing students with actual experiences or more discussions about the subject. Being active and involved in the class would be much more memorable for students. It would also help teachers determine which students are interested in learning about the subject and are motivated to perform well in class.

Students are more likely to remember what was said or done in a class than what questions were asked on an exam.

Former high school teacher Daniella Cook, from the North Carolina Coalition for Fair Testing and the Common Sense Foundation in Raleigh, said that by focusing education on tests, teachers disregard students’ participation in other classroom activities and may even impair the students’ creativity.

Cook said that teachers are usually the ones responsible for flaws in the testing system, and by relying too heavily on tests they not only impair a student’s ability to learn, but also the teacher’s own ability to fully cover the subject. She also said that instructors often cast the blame of poor test scores upon students without considering that they, the teachers, may not be fulfilling their duties as educators. Cook accused these instructors of “blaming victims.”

Cook has a valid point. By heavily relying on tests, some very high-quality students may be overlooked.

Participation in class and actually gaining knowledge from it should be more appreciated than memorizing facts without really caring about the class. Students who pass classes with high final grades or scores do not always end up being the most educated in the subject.

Also, people should consider the fact that some students have the type of mindset that functions well during exams. There are people who master the skill of quickly recalling facts or memorizing information for exams.

Different people have different ways of learning. Some students are wonderful at completing schoolwork, but do not know the right study methods to prepare for a test or simply cannot handle that pressure. Depending on what subject the students are studying, the ability to work under high levels of stress or memorize information may be irrelevant.

Homework, class participation and other class projects present students with plenty of learning activities to complete and prove themselves worthy of passing a course.

Cook is not the only person speaking out against testing. In 2001, many parents protested the New York Education Department, saying that standardized testing was wasting time in schools and forcing trivial information upon the students.

It is time for people to step away from what they have been told about testing, as a accurate judgment of knowledge, and understand that there is more to education than a letter-grade on a sheet of paper.