Psychological approach to examinations

Abstract

Examinations represent a measure of performance under stress. Public examinations commonly constitute one of the most extreme forms of competition in contemporary society, wherein the psychological pressures can be immense. Thus examinations often become as much a measure of temperamental robustness and resilience as of knowledge and ability. Indeed, it is widely appreciated that the level of such emotional states as anxiety and excitability can make all the difference between passing and failing. Yet for one reason or another, the whole emphasis on preparation for examinations invariably centres on the intellectual development of the individual and the acquisition of skill and knowledge. Systematic psychological preparation in the affective domain is virtually non‐existent.

Citation

Davies, D. (1985), "Psychological approach to examinations", Education + Training, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 127-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb017132