Examinations serve several purposes, the foremost of which is to inform
the examiner regarding the amount of knowledge possessed by the
student. In discovering this, two methods may be employed; first, to
test whether or not the student knows certain things, plainly a
reproductive exercise; second, to see how well the student can apply
his knowledge. But this is not the only function of an examination. It
also shows the student how much he knows or does not know. Again the
examination often serves as an incentive to harder work on the part of
the student, for if one knows there will be an examination in a
subject, one usually studies with greater zeal than when an examination
is not expected. Lastly, an examination may help the student to link up
facts in new ways, and to see them in new relationships. In this
aspect, you readily see that examinations constitute a valuable device
in learning.

But students are not very patient in philosophizing about the purpose
of examinations, declaring that if examinations are a necessary part of
the educational process, they wish some advice that will enable them to
pass examinations easily and with credit to themselves. So we shall
turn our attention to the practical problems of passing examinations.

Our first duty in giving advice is to call attention to the necessity
for faithful work throughout the course of study. Some students seem to
think that they can slight their work throughout a course, and by
vigorous cramming at the end make up for slighted work and pass the
examination. This is an extremely dangerous attitude to take. It might
work with certain kinds of subject-matter, a certain type of
student-mind and a certain kind of examiner, but as a general practice
it is a most treacherous method of passing a course. The greatest
objection from a psychological standpoint is that we have reason to