1 | Page Table Of Contents: Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………01 Background…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….04 Research Questions………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..08 Hypotheses…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….08 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….09 Primary Data Presentation And Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………10 Findings And Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………………………… .31 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 32 References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..33
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Bangladesh uses standardized exams as a measure at the 5 levels of its education. The five levels
are Primary Level (years 1 to 5), Junior Level (years 6 to 8), Secondary Level (years 9 to 10), Higher
Secondary Level (years 11 and 12) and Tertiary Level. Tertiary education in Bangladesh takes place at 34
government and 54 private universities. Students can choose to further their studies in engineering,
technology, agriculture and medicine at a variety of universities and colleges. Secondary School
Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams have been here since the advent of an
educational system in Bangladesh. Recently Junior School Certificate (JSC) examinations have been
introduced to the primary and the junior level students.
The people of Bangladesh regard the standardized exams very highly. Every year a massive
number of students take the SSC and the HSC exams. Students from English medium schools attend theO’ level and the A’ level exams. The undertaking of these exams is featured in national television. The
result are widely telecasted and published in almost all information mediums of the country. Merit
holders in these exams are awarded nationally by the Prime Minister. To many, doing well in these
standardized exams inevitably means that s/he will get into a good university and have a prosperous
career ahead. Even in the job sectors the standardized exams are highly valued, and decisions regarding
recruitment and promotions are made upon.
Learning, on the other hand, is one’s ability to understand, apply and work with what s/he haslearnt. Until recently, the standardized exams have been believed to be the true measure of learning.
Many believed that doing well in these exams inevitably leads to a prosperous career ahead, rife with
recognitions and acknowledgements. Thus attaining a good score in these exams has become a social
status for the majority of people in Bangladesh. Recently, there have been evidences that suggest
otherwise. Many a time we come across someone without a good score in these exams but is well
learned, highly prosperous and greatly reputed personality in his/her field of work. Purists have started
to argue that the so called standardized exams do not measure intelligence and learning properly. The
real question is, are these standardized exams really conducive to learning?
The two prerequisites for a good test are reliability and validity. Reliability indicates that the
tests measure what it should measure. Validity, on the other hand, indicates that the tests results are
consistent. Consensus states that to fulfill these requirements, a test must have a good question pattern
with questions demanding students’ learning ability and a deft assessment system. Sadly, today’s
Music, Physical Sciences, Political Economy, Religious Knowledge and Zoology. These examinations were
timetabled into blocks of six or seven consecutive days and held throughout the day, including in the
evenings. The first examinations stressed recall of information. Pupils had to remember the names ofmonarchs and their families, list historical events and draw maps. Science meant details of findings and
Scripture examinations involved knowing biblical verses. Collecting and possessing basic facts was seen
as the foundation of knowledge. Arithmetic was simple and straightforward.
“The earliest evidence of standardized testing was in China,[3]
where the imperial
examinations covered the Six Arts which included music, archery and horsemanship, arithmetic, writing,
and knowledge of the rituals and ceremonies of both public and private parts. Later, sections on military
strategies, civil law, revenue and taxation, agriculture and geography were added to the testing. In thisform, the examinations were institutionalized during the 6th century CE, under the Sui Dynasty”
(Standardized test, 2013). Later in the 19th
century, Britain introduced standardized testing to the
students. It is through Britain standardized testing spread, to Europe and then America.
Standardized exams have their merits. “High stakes, standardized exams have been billed as a
panacea for our educational ills” (Henry, p.47). According to Horn and Sanders (1995), if imbued with
proper practices, the tests can render valuable assessment method, with the data and results readily
available (pp.3-12). The results of these standardized exams are globally accepted, which indicates equal
dissemination of the same knowledge worldwide. “Standardized tests, which by definition give all test-
takers the same test under the same (or reasonably equal) conditions, are also perceived as being more
fair than assessments that use different questions or different conditions for students according to their
race, socioeconomic status, or other considerations” (Standardized test, 2013).
anomalies between test performance and real life performance. The results of these standardized
exams have thus become inconclusive.
The standardized exams’ contents are irrelevant, contributing minimally to induce true learning.
The pattern of questions have evolved to such a state which renders a good score sometimes even if theexaminee knows too little to even sit for the test. Also, the assessment procedure is not amply austere
to judge learning properly. Critics of standardized exams frequently argue that no actual jobs of the real
world requires coming up with answers within a given time period, without asking anyone for
assistance. Learning should be about identifying whether the examinee knows well and is able to apply
his/her knowledge in real life. Rather, the standardized exams nowadays seems to focus more on
identifying people who can follow the rules blindly, given the increasing number of additional rules the
examinees have to maintain while taking these exams.
Methodology:
Primary research was done by conducting surveys on 30 North South University Students. The
survey contained 14 questions. Most of the questions focused on the negative repercussions of
standardized testing and the participants were asked to choose one from the four options given. The
survey intended to identify what the respondents relate most with the anomaly or problem that the
question focused on, whether they blame the negative aspects of standardized testing or not.
Secondary research was also conducted by going through various online journals, articles,
websites etc for information related to the topic.
standardized exams nowadays includes identifying keywords given in the book. If an answer contains
the least number of keywords, despite explaining the answer eloquently, it is considered as a wrong
answer.
Only 23% said that the number of subjects that require memorizing is negligible. The 67%contended that the subjects tested in standardized tests have parts that require rote learning and
memorizing. Complaints have been growing against this issue. Students should be able to explain what
they have learnt, not repeat it verbatim. The process is creating an “educated workforce” that can
repeat the theories in the books word by word, but cannot apply them to the real world problems.
The following question seeks to find out people’s perception about the best question format
that can affectively measure learning.
What, according to you, is the best question pattern to effectively measure learning?
□ Multiple Choice Questions
□ Short/Broad conceptual questions
□ Situational Questions (where you are given a particular scenario and asked to
solve the problem mentioned)
□ Analytical Questions ( where answering involves a lot of critical thinking)
Out of the 30 people questioned, 9 opted for situational questions, whereas the answers for the
rest 21 people were divided equally between multiple choice question, conceptual questions and
analytical questions.
Only 7 out of the 30 people surveyed said that the most prevalent question type in the
standardized exams, the multiple choice questions, is actually the best method to successfully measurelearning. The other 23 people feel differently. This is because multiple choice questions rely heavily on
chance. A prospective candidate can successfully identify the right answer just by making an educated
guess. Also, if he doesn’t know anything at all, he can separate the wrong options from the right one by
implementing the process of elimination. As far learning goes, a student only has to know some
keywords to answer all the multiple choice questions correctly. He doesn’t need to understand the topic
The next question asked the participants how well they remember what they had learned in
their standardized exams. The answers don’t show much variance between the four options.
How much of what you learnt when you were a candidate for these standardized exams
can you still remember?
□ About all of it
□ About half of it
□ About one-fourth
□ Little
30% of the respondents remember about half of what they were taught. 27% answered that
they remember all of it. 23% answered that they remember little and lastly 20% answered that they
remember about one-fourth of the syllabus they were taught in order to take the standardized test.
43% answered that they remember about one-fourth or even less of what they learned while
they prepared for their standardized exams. While the majority claims to remember about half or moreof it, the anomaly can be attributed due to the fact that the target group was university students, who
are believed to have entered the university right after they were done with their HSCs or A-levels. Even
if standardized exams didn’t induce true learning, in which case the participants wouldn’t remember
most of what they had learnt during their preparation, it is too early to arrive at any conclusion
The mass perception extracted from the primary research goes hand in hand with the
hypothesis. The target group recognizes the adverse aspects of standardized exams and voices their
concerns over them. The questions were asked with respect to the discrepancies that persist, while the
choices outlined the causes assumed in the hypothesis along with some other neutral and contradictory
options. The respondents successfully related the discrepancies with the causes as were assumed in the
hypothesis.
The responses indicate that standardized exams invoke a negative notion to people’s minds. The
participants mostly answered against the mainstream evaluation method. Probably because the gaps
between what the evaluation procedure promises and reality have reached such proportions that the
benefits ought to have been entitled to standardized evaluation system are becoming negligible.
Recommendations to counteract the egregious and pointless practices include requirements for
students to submit a medium scale project as part of their school ending assessment which will be
assessed thoroughly by the system. It goes without saying that proper implementation of this could lead
to great inventions, and worldwide recognitions. In order to alleviate the faulty assessment process,
multi-level assessment can be undertaken, where the exam papers will be checked by multiple
assessors. Implementation would albeit require more cost, but with exponential benefits in the long run.
Also, Brown (2005) reported that, “significant energy must be devoted to helping students tounderstand not only where they have gone wrong, but also what they need to do to improve” (p.84).