Across every college campus in the United States, students are preparing to conquer final examinations, ranging from tests and papers to projects and presentations. Whichever medium the respective professor chooses to use for the final project, students will take what they've learned by culminating all of the information from the semester into one final piece. Although the majority of students and professors alike agree in the validity and usage of a final examination, a question may arise at the prospect of late semester testing: what's the point?

At first glance, final examinations seem like a no-brainer; students have a chance to prove their understanding of the course material, while professors get the chance to provide an apex for the content they've taught for sixteen weeks. However, when one analyzes the final exam further, they can see the system has an equal or even greater amount of flaws. To begin with, the final examination system constricts learning to a fixed spectrum, leaving no room for additional learning if need be. Some courses may need well over sixteen weeks to provide the best learning experience for all students involved, while other courses may need only eight to ten weeks. By mandating that all courses must adhere to a sixteen week schedule, universities are limiting students to other academics endeavors, including research, career exploration, studies outside of chosen major and so on and so forth.

Another problem with the fixed examination is rather than testing what a student has learned, it tests what a student can remember. Many exams are set up to have students provide passive regurgitation of information, rather than a critical application of values and ideals the class has taught them. Although there isn't a perfect solution to changing the makeup of the flawed final, there are certain progressive steps to be made. Rather than producing a test comprised of multiple choice questions that won't have an impact after the course ends, professors can begin to ask more pertinent questions dealing with real-world, impactful applications.

It's no secret the education system isn't perfect, but that doesn't mean we cannot work to improve it. It's true that some universities look at testing from a different perspective, and are active in providing a less traditional view on knowledge. However, it is evident that the majority of professors work with the original final examination system, resorting to the regurgitation of the content they provide. If teachers want their content utilized in society more, then they have the chance to do so. The ball is in your court, professors.