When I wrote an article about AP exams, and the AP curriculum being discontinued at WT, one thing that was suggested to me was that I include a section about final exams in general. Specifically, it was about a final exam at WT that would replace the AP exam for those classes. But I decided not to write about that, because frankly, there’s a lot more to be said about final exams themselves anyway, and I wanted to keep the article I was writing relatively concise. 

But I think now is a good time to address the idea of final exams in general, and I’ll start by telling you that I think final exams, abstractly and independently of their application, are not helpful. However, I still believe that it is productive to have finals of sorts in our classes at WT, and in fact I advocate for that. I recall Mr. Marx saying “Thank me later” with regards to the biology semester test; I also recall my grandfather telling me that when he was in college, the final exam was the grade for the entire year. Now, I don’t think too many colleges still operate on a system that determines your grade from one 12 hour test, but they certainly still have finals, and those finals are still very important. So, it is simply good practice for us to know how to prepare for big tests, as the stakes will only get higher from here.

I also think that I should clarify that these finals that I’m envisioning are not meant necessarily as replacements for the AP tests. In many classes, it makes sense not to have finals, like English. They would also not be necessary for many underclassmen classes, as those classes have different purposes, and test-taking preparation isn’t quite as relevant. Therefore, if I were discussing the introduction of these tests, that isn’t quite the way I would frame it.

Instead, I would address that adding tests like this can give more emphasis on learning the material. While many people would cram, in AP classes, much of the class time in April is dedicated to review, and while I would personally cut back a bit on that, it would still be a good opportunity to consolidate the information from throughout the year to be understood for the long term. But I still need to give this proposition the condition that preparation for these finals would have to be conducted in a particular manner. If the teachers emphasize the literal test itself, not the class content, then it will suffer many of the drawbacks that the AP tests have. In that same vein, some people just aren’t as equipped to take tests, and while a test is still the most straightforward way to demonstrate your knowledge, it shouldn’t be catastrophic to an otherwise good transcript. 

So the thing to take away from this is that having finals at WT would be beneficial, assuming that their purpose is to reinforce the course content, and to more flatly test knowledge of the topics covered in the course.