Cram week chronicles

The atmosphere in the library feels different during exam week. Students who rarely visit suddenly appear every day with flashcards and notes in hand. The panic and urgency are almost tangible. It is the week that defines our progress in the term, but also the week that tests our sanity.

At Mercersburg Academy, Fall exam week is a rite of passage. It is the only formal examination period in the whole school year, yet it’s crammed into 5 days just before Thanksgiving break. Students take two exams per day, with each evening left for reviewing and recovering. The idea is to test what we’ve learned in the fall term. However, in reality, there are students pulling all-nighters, teachers rushing to grade homework before break, and some others who decide to give up halfway through. It feels more like a test of endurance and pressure than a measure of learning.

Personally, I think exam week does more harm than good. Students get overloaded with homework, studying, and the mental stress that comes with it. As a result, they sometimes don’t perform their best, making the exams an inaccurate reflection of their learning. I believe it is better to have tests spread throughout the term instead, because students can prepare for them more thoroughly without worrying about all courses at once. I remember last year when I was studying chemistry until midnight, only to forget half of it the next day. I knew the material beforehand, but my nerves pushed me to stay up late to make sure I knew everything, which led me to sacrifice sleep and memory. While some people believe that the exam week is a good tradition, I think we should begin contemplating whether it truly reflects our learning.

Some people argue that the exam week pushes students to study and review class materials thoroughly. It can strengthen discipline as well. Students can feel rewarded and satisfied when they finish the week with a ten-day break. However, the issue is not the exams themselves—it's about the mental pressure and unease they bring to students, as all the exams are crammed into one week.

One possible solution is to extend the exam week into two weeks so that exams are more spread out, or to replace one-third of them with projects. Projects allow students to demonstrate their abilities in a more natural and creative way, emphasizing deep understanding. More importantly, this approach reduces pressure and promotes genuine learning over last-minute memorization. 

Fall exam week may be an institution at Mercersburg Academy, but education can evolve. Since the goal is to assess the student’s understanding of the content, the exams should focus on comprehension over stress. Perhaps a comfortable space should be offered for students, where they can show their abilities and knowledge without losing sleep over it. After all, exams should build students' confidence—not exhaustion.