Imagine this: It’s 9th period on a Friday. You walk into your classroom, and your teacher says the three dreaded words almost every high school student hates to hear. “Pop quiz today!” Instant fright floods the room. In frantic whispers, students ask their classmates what they remembered from previous lessons as the teacher passes out the quiz.

How does the pop quiz make you feel? Do you feel rewarded that your hard work in and out of class will not go unappreciated? Or do you feel anxious, knowing that you did not have a chance to fully commit the information you had just learned to memory?

For me, pop quizzes are nothing but trouble.

With any test, no matter the class, come the nerves. And I’m not alone. Test anxiety is a real struggle that many students face, and the educational effects can be long-lasting.

Throughout my high school years, I have often thought the no single educational course should have to be constantly on my mind. My other classes, as well as a long list of after-school activities and responsibilities, are an unavoidable part of my life. To be surprised with a test on information that was taught to me a day ago makes me feel like I’m being set up for failure.

“I think pop quizzes are unfair because students don’t have time to prepare, so they won’t really show what students really know,” said a NASH student who asked to remain anonymous. “They also create stress and pressure, which might lower academic performance even if a student understands the material.”

It is true, much to my dismay, that pop quizzes can in some instances be a force for good. Academically motivated and well organized students can reap their reward, and teachers can more accurately determine which students completed their homework. Grades, of course, should reflect how hard a student works in a class and how well they understand the material, and pop quizzes can help some — but not all. 

However, the material taught to a student is not always absorbed overnight, making pop quizzes feel more like a blindside than a useful assessment tool. I know that I, at least, need time to process and understand information before being evaluated on it. 

“Even if kids have done their homework, not knowing that there is a graded assignment does not seem fair at all,” said by a NASH student who also asked to remain anonymous.

A simple solution to the stress-inducing pop quiz is not to grade it. In a study conducted by Kamil Hamaoui, a psychology professor at Westchester Community College in New York, ungraded quizzes were determined to be no less effective that graded ones — and at far less risk to student morale. 

Perhaps it’s time that we put the pop quiz to rest once and for all. If they do more harm than good–and if there are more effective ways for teachers to measure student understanding–then why do we continue to invoke student stress and potentially lower student grades? Won’t we feel more rewarded knowing about a test ahead of time, properly studying for it, and then excelling at it? 

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Editors’ note: All opinions expressed on The Uproar are a reflection solely of the beliefs of the bylined author and not the journalism program at NASH.  We continue to welcome school-appropriate comments and guest articles.