A testing time for students

STRANGE beliefs still persist where examinations in some of the older third level colleges are concerned. In TCD, for example, it has long been believed that one of the old college rules permits a candidate to order a glass of beer during his or her examination as long as he (or she) is wearing . . . well, a sword. Long, pointy thing, take your eye out, you know the form.

This is probably apocryphal, given that the college expressly banned the wearing of swords by students in the 17th century, probably in order to avoid painful and quite possibly fatal variations of the old "thumb tack on the seat" ploy so beloved of student pranksters.

Nevertheless, the possibility that such an entitlement might actually exist indicates one essential truth about college examinations - they are as far removed from the Leaving Certificate as it is possible to get.

While the familiar structure of three hour examinations, exam papers and invigilators still operates at third level, the teaching structures, the level of personal responsibility and, in many cases, the qualitative nature of the testing involved make third level examinations a very different prospect for students. Examinations in the humanities, in particular, tend to test the way the student thinks in addition to what a student knows.

"Third level exams are much more difficult because a far greater level of analysis is required, says John Walsh, education officer with TCD students' union. In second level the crucial thing is the extent of knowledge backed up by some analysis. In university exams the crucial factor is an ability to analyse and make interpretations which goes way beyond second level."

"The teaching is different," says Garrett Tubridy, UCD students' union education officer. "The pupil teacher ratio in university may be 500:1, whereas at second level it is 30:1. There is still tremendous pressure at examination time, but the whole learning process is different culturally. There is a lot more project and class based work.

Students in third level also have to be more independent. A tab isn't kept on them all the time and if they miss a lecture they won't be reprimanded as in school. The contract at second level is between the school and the parents but the contract at third level is between the college and the student. There is a lot more independence from the start".

The danger of this independence is that students released from the strict discipline of the schoolroom and the watchful eye of mum and dad may lose sight of the academic reasons for being in college.

For some, the social aspect can be overly attractive and examination time is when they traditionally count the cost of evenings spent in the bar. Others, particularly those who have had trouble settling into third level and who have found the whole experience overwhelming, may also experience difficulties at this time. The end result is frequently a build up of stress and underachievement in examinations.

In his 17th century Anatomy of Melancholy Robert Burton wrote that "students lost their wits and many times their lives from immoderate pains and extraordinary study," so student stress is hardly a new phenomenon. It is also worth remembering that a little stress can spur us on to greater achievement but excessive amounts can lead to poor performance and failure in examinations.

FIGURES compiled from Britain, Northern Ireland and North America indicate that, over a three to four year undergraduate course, up to 40 per cent of students will show some symptoms of excessive stress, ranging from transient symptoms which require little more than reassurance and possibly short term help to a small minority who will suffer from severe psychiatric illness.

At exam time, stresses can reach boiling point. Sport, exercise and a balanced lifestyle will help but college counselling and health services are there to assist students who are finding it difficult to cope at this time of year. The freephone Niteline service (1 800 784 357), run by TCD and UCD students' unions, will also continue to operate until June 12th, from 9.00 p.m. to 2.30 a.m.

Most colleges also have an appeals system of some form in place so that students who have experienced particular difficulties coming up to exam time which have affected their results have some form of redress.

The four NUI colleges (UCD, UCC, UCG and Maynooth) have operated an appeals' system since 1994, with UCD the first to appoint an exams appeals officer in the amiable form of Paddy O'Flynn who has described his role as "half examiner, half administrator". Under the system, students can request a cheek of their examination paper for a small fee, refundable if an error is found. A formal appeal is also an option, although many students opt first tore an informal appeal to their own department.

The appeal must be on stated grounds, such as illness or family bereavement or unsatisfactory exam conditions, and the appeal is considered by a panel of professors and an outsider, preferably a practising lawyer. In UCD, O'Flynn also attends.

"There is still no appeal for the oral, though," says Tubridy.

There are other common bugbears where third level exams are concerned. TCD is to initiate a pilot project for anonymous marking this year in the psychology and biology departments, with the possibility of its extension to all faculties next year.

"It reduces any possibility of bias, whether real or perceived," says John Walsh. "It also strengthens the credibility of the system and reinforces students' faith in the system if exams are marked anonymously."

The university is also introducing anonymous publication of results for all exams except finals, following a pilot project last year. "It's important because a student's exam result, especially for non finals, is essentially his or her own business," says John Walsh. "It's a matter of respect for the privacy of the individual."

In the end, university exams are still no great pleasure for students. Like the pains of old age, they are the price that must be paid for the sins of youth or, in this case, the opportunity afforded by college to indulge in the sins of youth. And despite occasional appearances to the contrary, they are easy for no one. As Charles Colton once wrote: "Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer.