Exams make me so anxious and I know that most students deal with this problem. We study and study and study so hard for upcoming exams, only to realize that what is on the test was never even on the study guide. Or that we do not even have study guides and we study so much for a 25-point exam, only to realize that the test only had 60% of what we studied crammed into our heads, and even missing three points out of 25 puts us at a B on the exam.

If we are to be measured by our intelligence, then more projects, presentations, and papers are the way to go. At least with those options, we can incorporate more of what we know about the subject and the professor can see more of where we are at, rather than relying on the scores we receive on exams.

Personally, I am not the best test-taker. There is a lot of pressure for me when it comes to taking tests; always second-guessing myself and my answers. Professors could evaluate students better in their projects, presentations, papers, etc. A student could be really smart in the class, but just generally be a bad test-taker. That student could be evaluated better in a different way.

As the saying goes, "Your GPA does not define you." Students should not be pulling hair and sacrificing their mental health just to get a 4.0. Overworking ourselves by staying up all night until 4:00 am and getting up three hours later just for a 25-point test is not an ideal way to strive in college.

There are different ways that students can academically do better and express their true knowledge and intelligence better, and exams are just not the most ideal way to do it.