Most of us[if not all] have heard about competitive examinations. These are usually referred to those examinations which enable students to take admission into colleges, universities, business schools and the like. Any student aspiring to get into a top college such as MIT, or Harvard or Tokyo University or Indian Institute of Technology, will need to first get over the hurdle of entrance exams. Popular competitive exams include the GRE[Graduate Record Examination], the GMAT[Graduate Management Admission Test], TOEFL[Test of English as a Foreign Language], IIT-JEE[Indian Institute of Technology- Joint Entrance Examination], etc. It is a well known fact that you need to score extraordinary marks in such examinations in order to qualify for the best colleges. Moreover most of them are highly competitive, even more so in Asian countries such as India and China, where thousands of students compete for a handful of seats in the premier institutes. In this post, we shall examine whether such competitive examinations are indeed necessary or have they become more of a burden in recent times.

I will be focusing more on the psychological aspects of such examinations, rather than the technical or financial feasibility of conducting such exams on a large scale. Or in other words, what sort of a mental impact do such examinations have on young students, usually in the age group of 15-22 years. Let us start with the necessity. Competitive exams are not a recent phenomenon and have existed for over half a century. In all likelihood they will continue to exist for a long period in future too. Examinations such as GRE and GMAT test the verbal and quantitative aptitude of a candidate, along with his logical thinking ability and to check his speed plus accuracy, all within a fixed amount of time. Surveys conducted have shown that such skills are indeed necessary for scientists, managers, researchers, or professionals in any field. In India, the popular competitive exam called CAT[Common Admission Test], for entry into the Indian Institute of Managements[IIMs] is somewhat similar to the GRE or GMAT . The IIT-JEE focuses on Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics skills. There are also other entrance tests for Law colleges, Arts, Commerce, etc. The point being that entrance tests have become very much a part and parcel of life.

However there is one major difference between the developed countries and developing countries, with respect to competitive exams. In developed countries, such as USA, there are hundreds of premier educational institutes, offering specializations in diverse fields, ranging from engineering, management, science, astronomy, philosophy, psychology, drama, sports, medicine, tourism, and what not. So even if a student fails to get into say MIT, he can be content with other institutes and will still have lots of choice. Compared to that, in India, and to some extent even China, there are very few premier institutes which can offer high quality education. This, coupled with the huge student population in both countries, has created an enormous supply-demand mismatch. Thousands of students are competing for a single seat in a few institutes, as such institutes guarantee a job after completion of the course. In fact students spend 12-14 hours per day studying in order to grab the prestigious seat by any means. Naturally that takes quite a toll on the young child, and in may lead to negative outcomes, such as depression, health problems, suicidal tendencies, ostracism, etc. Unfortunately in many cases, parents force the child to appear in such competitive exams, even if the child does not want to.



The problem with such exams is that once a student starts preparing for it, he/she usually ends up forgetting most other things. Teenage life is something which should be enjoyed and treasured, and not to bury oneself in books for 10 hours a day. Not only will this make the child unsocial, but will also make him depressed or frustrated. Balancing school studies along with competitive exams is another difficult task for many students. The thing is that most of the children do not even know why they are studying such stuff in which they have no interest in. This has created a rat-race, in which bowing down to peer pressure and parental pressure, the student mindlessly starts taking one test after another. The reason for this is that in most developing countries, getting a job remains the first priority for students and parents alike. This is why most students are forcibly admitted into engineering or medical colleges such that they can get a job and start working after completion of their course. Making money is important, no doubt, but if done at the cost of one’s interest, may prove to be detrimental in the long run. I believe career counseling is very important in this stage. Rather than forcing children to appear for one entrance test after the other, he/she should be encouraged to follow his/her own career objective.

I believe that instead of having several different competitive examinations, it is better to have a single exam held throughout the year which can be taken by students from any background. Later the respective institutes can decide on their own admission criteria. For example, in India, we have over 10 different entrance exams for MBA with many institutes conducting their own exam. Many students find it troublesome to appear for different exams held at different times during the year.

Often I have read articles in which it was mentioned that students committed suicide after being unable to get into the college of their choice. Other times I read that students commit suicide because they were unable to follow the hectic schedule of their coveted colleges. And the worst part is that many students only realize their mistake after they have taken admission. They come to the conclusion that they are a total misfit in the college, and that their interest clearly lies elsewhere. All this can be avoided with a bit more caution and seriousness when it comes to taking admission in a college.

All said and done, I am not totally against competitive exams. With some structural changes, it is quite possible to conduct such exams in a more cordial manner. The students should not feel that they are in a do-or-die situation while attempting the answers. Other than that, it is very important for us to have more quality institutes in different backgrounds[Science, Arts, Commerce, Law, Engineering, Management, etc], such that deserving students are not left out just because they did not perform very well in a particular exam.

First of all, let me clarify that by ‘they’ I don’t mean just the teachers, but whoever is associated with the upbringing and teaching of children in school. We all know that life in school is precious for every child, it is what lays the foundation or base of character development. It determines what kind of a citizen that child is going to become when he or she grows up. Nothing can undermine the importance of school life. However, there are certain things which are not taught in majority of the schools. I shall discuss three of these things, and will give my views on the same.
i) Ethics and Morality:

Most schools do have a subject which deals with ethics, such as Moral Science, etc. However based on my personal experience, I would say that most students tend to take such subjects very lightly and often ignore them. In many schools, education dealing with Ethics is entirely omitted altogether. Teachers stress on the importance of learning Mathematics, Science, English and other subjects. They tell the students about the importance of scoring high in exams, and that their future depends on their academic performance. However hardly any teacher teaches about character development, morals, conscience, importance of good behavior, etiquette, how to treat women, poor people, etc. In today’s Scam hit world[especially with respect to the Indian context], people have started believing that its perfectly all right to be unethical as long as you manage to reach your goal and earn money. Intense competition in the corporate world has also resulted in the increase of nefarious practices worldwide. In some cases, even the parents do not bother with issues on ethics, honesty, etc. After all, if the father himself is paying and taking bribes, you certainly would not expect him to teach his son or daughter about the values of ethics.



ii) Finance Education:

As Robert Kiyosaki says in his famous book-‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, we hardly teach anything about finance to the young child. We give too much stress on technical knowledge[which will contribute to less than 10% in the child’s life], but we do not teach him/her about the importance of handling money. We do not tell him about assets and liabilities and how he should avoid extra expenses and focus on saving money. In fact, most schools do not even have a subject related to basic finance till the higher/secondary level, ie when the specialization starts. Even for students who take up commerce, finance is largely limited to memorizing inane data from extra fat textbooks. However it is quite possible and preferred that teachers teach about the importance of money at the primary school level itself. And rather than resorting to quote abstruse text, they should make an effort in making the concept seem simple to the students. In fact, students should be made to play simple finance based games, in which they have to maximize their assets and minimize their liabilities. This will help in a major way, when the child grows up and join an organization. Maintaining a record of income and expenditure from an early age is also useful.


iii) Career Counselling and Independence:

When a child is in school, he or she is usually not mature enough to take a big decision by himself. Parents and teachers must guide him/her in the right way and help him/her make a choice. Unfortunately, in real life scenario, we see that majority of the parents force their children to take up a career/path in which they[the children] have no interest in. This situation is extremely grave in Asian countries such as India and China, where there is intense competition to get admission into the top institutes of higher education[colleges and universities]. Career counseling in schools is almost non-existent. Teachers are not bothered about the child’s decision. They teach whatever they have to, take their salaries, and move on. Parents are more interested in showing off to others that their child has managed to get admission into a top institute. Hardly does any parent ask a child-‘What do you really want to do in life?’ Rather first he or she makes the decision and then instigates the child to follow the dictated path. Such forceful decisions can have serious negative repercussions on the child. He may fall into a state of depression if he does not like his college environment and in extreme cases may even commit suicide. Instead of forcing a child to do what we[the parents] want to do, rather we should let the child be independent from an early age onwards and let him take his own decision. Guidance must be provided but not at the cost of sacrificing the child’s passion. Forcing a child to become an Engineer or a Doctor against his/her will not make his life, rather it will break it.

Those were a few issues which many schools do not focus on. However I am optimistic in the sense that education can be made holistic and enjoyable for students, and hopefully we will see a positive change in future.