Final Exams Can Be Hard, And That Doesn't Make You Stupid
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Final Exams Can Be Hard, And That Doesn't Make You Stupid

Thinking that a final is difficult has no bearing on intelligence.

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Final Exams Can Be Hard, And That Doesn't Make You Stupid
pgcps.org

The Odyssey Facebook page posts articles all week from different Odyssey writers. For the most part right now there are things like lists of gift ideas, college life articles, how to survive finals week, and a smattering of other topics, both more and less serious. There was one specifically that caught my attention though.

Even without reading the article, the title gave away most of the content: "Final Exams Aren't Hard And If You Think So, You're Stupid."

I hoped the article was satire or maybe even motivational with a clickbait title, but the article is exactly what it says it is - bashing on anybody who thinks finals are hard, because the writer apparently doesn't think so. The author only lists six reasons. If your final is cumulative it's your fault it's hard. If the final isn't cumulative it's just another test and your fault it's hard. If you have multiple papers to write you didn't manage your time. There is foreknowledge of finals so you can study. There is a week for finals, and professors give help. While some of these reasons could have a sliver of truth to them, they're so twisted to make it all the student's fault that they barely hold up anymore.

The first two reasons make little sense to me, especially considering at the end of the article the author says that if you don't believe them then look at their straight A's. This implies to me that you can't have a difficult test and do well. For example, organic chemistry is a difficult subject in general, even with a lot of studying. The tests are hard, but it's still possible to do well, which means the person who did well on the test isn't stupid either. I also have straight A's, and got them last semester, but that doesn't mean all my tests were or will be easy. This goes along with the fourth reason of knowing finals are coming. Studying is important, but doesn't always mean the tests won't be hard.

The multiple papers reason doesn't make sense to me either, especially as an English major. I often have more than one paper or project to work on at a time, and get more and more close together the closer finals get. The author claims that the hours I've spent on Netlfix (none), Snapchat stories I've watched (I rarely use Snapchat and don't watch stories), and time I've spent on Facebook (not much), I would've been done with my papers. This comes down to time management, which I feel I do fairly well. That has no bearing on how difficult it is to write the paper. Writer's block doesn't have anything to do with wasting time, and some people just struggle with writing papers. It doesn't make them stupid.

The week for finals reason also comes down to time management. This week is, according to the author, plenty of time to study and write papers. At Concordia, our tests are over three days, and we have classes until the first day of exams. Even then, there is obviously time to study, but again studying doesn't necessarily mean the test will be easy. Having a difficult test isn't a sign of stupidity, it's just having a difficult test.

The professors often give help reason is pretty true at Concordia in my experience, but that doesn't mean at every school every person will have professors that are as understanding and helpful. Even with good professors, office hours don't always work out and the professor may not have other times that work. I'm honestly not even sure how this relates to finals being difficult or not, because the professor isn't going to give all the answers on the test for meeting with them, and clarity issues aren't the only reasons tests can be difficult.

My papers are actually done fairly quickly, and many of my tests I find fairly easy. This doesn't make me any smarter than the people who struggle with the subjects I'm taking. Writing papers is hard for some people. Taking tests can cause test anxiety, which causes even more difficulty than the test itself causes. Math is difficult for me, because sometimes it just doesn't click, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. A higher GPA doesn't signal smarter or tried harder, because all of our brains work differently. A higher grade on a paper means even less, since writing can be so subjective and there's no step-by-step process for it or any real correct answer. In the end, having a final exam be difficult doesn't mean stupid, for as many or more reasons than the author of the article said that it did.

At the end of the article the author says they "wrote this to be incendiary" and went on to imply that people who think finals are hard are too busy bar hopping to do their homework. My article was on why I disagree with the topic, but I also don't understand why the official Odyssey Facebook page is endorsing content in which the author admits being incendiary, and seemingly for no reason other than to insult people. If you wish to read the article, the link is here.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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