We might marvel at the progress made in every field of study, but the methods of testing a persons knowledge and ability remain as primitive as ever they were. It really is extraordinary that after all these years, educationists have still failed to devise anything more efficient and reliable than examinations. For all pious claim that examinations test what you know, it is common knowledge that they more often do the exact opposite. They may be a good means of testing memory, or the knack of working rapidly under extreme pressure, but they can tell you nothing about a persons true ability and aptitude. As anxiety makers, examinations are second to none. That is because so much depends on them. They are the mark of success or failure in our society. Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of sharp competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. Can we wonder at the increasing number of drop-outs, young people who are written off as utter failures before they have even begun a career? Can we be surprised at the suicide rate among students? A good education should, among other things, train you to think for yourself. The examination system does anything but that. What has to be learnt is rigidly laid down by a syllabus, so the student is encouraged to memories. Examinations do not motivate a student to read widely, but to restrict his reading; they do not enable him to seek more and more knowledge, but induce cramming. The most successful candidates are not always the best educated; they are the best trained in the technique.
我们可能会惊叹于每一个学习领域所取得的进步，但是，测试一个人的知识和能力的方法仍然和以往一样原始。不同寻常的是，这些年来，教育家们还没有找到比考试更为有效和可靠。对于所有的虔诚的要求，考试你所知道的，这是常识，他们更经常做的完全相反。他们可能是一个很好的测试记忆的手段，或在极端压力下快速工作的诀窍，但他们可以告诉你一个人的真实能力和能力。作为焦虑的制造者，考试是首屈一指的。那是因为这么多取决于他们。他们是我们社会中成功或失败的标志。你的整个未来可能决定命运的一天。在孩子开始上学的那一刻，他进入了一个激烈竞争的世界，成功和失败都是清楚界定和衡量的。我们能不知道越来越多的辍学者，在他们甚至开始了一个职业生涯之前就被写过的年轻人的失败？我们能对学生的自杀率感到惊讶吗？一个好的教育应该在其他的事情上，培养你自己去思考。考试制度不做任何事。学习的东西是用一个大纲严格规定的，因此，学生被鼓励去回忆。考试不能促使学生去广泛阅读，反而限制了他们的阅读；他们不让他去寻找更多的知识，但填鸭式教学。最成功的候选人不一定都是受过良好教育的人，他们是技术上最好的训练者。