THE FEAR

The thought of being examined by professors who are antagonistic to the gospel can generate paralyzing fear in a Christian student. How do you respond to examination questions that are set by lecturers who perhaps persecute you intellectually? Won’t they mark you down if you express Christian points of view in your answers?

THE TRUTH

It is not necessarily true that all teachers fail students simply because they disagree in matters of personal beliefs. Some mean lecturers can do that, but it doesn’t follow that all students who share a teacher’s ideological or religious perspectives pass their courses only because of such affinities. Other factors can play important roles in your performances in an examination. At the institutional level, the quality control systems can minimize subjective assessment of students in formal examinations.

WORK BEFORE EXAMS
Earning good marks in an examination requires consistency in academic work and practical preparations. Academic excellence is not necessarily a demonstration of how well you have worked in the past eight weeks or so. It is often a reflection of accumulated intellectual training.
It is easy to be distracted from academic work especially when you have adjusted to the university after the first two or three semesters. This may result in poor performance in examinations.

MARK-EARNING SKILLS
“What exactly does this professor expect from me?” Here’s what the professor expect in one form or the other. Undergraduate-level examinations test you on criteria that include various forms of conceptual and technical competence. Lecturers expect you to demonstrate mastery major concepts, methods and perspectives in your discipline. These are competencies that you develop through consistent study and participation in lectures and other course activities.

In addition to these, communication skill is a critical factor in your performance in an exam. There are no other means of communicating what you know in an exam apart from written and oral presentations. Many bright students earn disappointing marks because they failed to develop the required level of written and oral competence in their courses. You can improve your communication skills by consistent learning and practice. Learn the specific language and jargon of your discipline, and practice professional writing that is suitable for your field of study.

ANSWERING EXAM QUESTIONS
For specific exam situations, train yourself in several intellectual skills that have proved to earn high marks. Some of these skills are highlighted here.

1. Understand the scope of a question
In many disciplines, mere descriptive answers don’t earn high marks. Unless you are specifically required to describe and stop at that, a description rarely stand on its own. It is often a precursor to analytical or polemic answers. Take time to understand the differences between descriptive and analytical answers in specific courses.

2. Stick to the question
Learn to provide only those answers that are relevant to an examination question. Many students ‘spot’ or ‘perm’ questions while preparing for an examination. Since examination questions are rarely phrased in the exact format they spotted, some students force their prepared answers to questions. Such answers may meet mark-earning criteria but risk being assessed as ‘off the point’.

3. Demonstrate your knowledge of the course
Show in your answers that you are thoroughly familiar with the subject matter of your course including the themes, the main focus, technical terms, definitions, specific jargon, scope, key theories, main arguments, key scholars and their writings.

4. Show originality of thought
At the undergraduate level, no good teacher awards high marks to a student who simply memorizes their lecture notes and reproduces these verbatim in an answer to questions. Convert or recycle your notes into original thoughts that address questions from your perspective.

5. Interpret data or evidence accurately
Demonstrate to the lecturer that you know what data or types of information are available in your course, and how to use them in your answers. Convince the examiner in your answers that you have gained competence in the concepts and applications of relevant techniques in your courses.

6. Present balanced arguments
A balanced argument separates very good students from others. This is where most students flounder especially in the nervous environment of an examination hall. You present a balanced argument when you identify, describe and recognize the merits of all evidence and points of view that are relevant to a question; then, you go on to make a case for your own point of view depending on what the question is about. If your personal view is required, resent it clearly but with a language that demonstrates awareness of competing perspectives.

Obviously, some of the criteria highlighted here are more relevant to some courses than others. The principle is fairly the same for all disciplines. There is no substitute for hard work and thorough intellectual preparations if you want to do well in examinations. This is true for courses that you like and those that you dislike. It is also true for courses offered by Christian and non-Christian lecturers.

IMPLICATIONS FOR YOUR STUDIES
The point here is to caution that you don’t easily attribute poor performance in an examination to differences in faith between you and your non-Christian lecturers. In every area of life, it is easy to blame other people for our negative experiences, circumstances and failure. A charge of intellectual persecution is not one you should make lightly, especially when examinations are involved. You must be honest enough to the Lord to assess the contribution of all other factors including the quality and quantity of your personal investment in studying a particular course.

However, when you have done your best and, for no other reason than your faith in Jesus, you get marked down, rejoice in the Lord. Keep your bigger victories and success in view. The same is true when you earn a mark that is lower than you expected in a course for which you worked really hard. Be on your guard when your marks are low. Don’t let your legitimate feelings of disappointment to degenerate into bitterness against the Lord and doubts about His faithfulness to you.

Other articles in this category:

How to study under non-Christian professors
How to handle intellectual persecution in the classroom