Picture of eleeleelThough the term has just started, I find myself reflecting on finals. Specifically, the finals time slots.

I am an astronomy minor, and so generally have at least one in person exam style final per term. I am not opposed to exams themselves; they tend to be a necessity for many lecture style classes.

But I do take issue with the design of our finals system, specifically, the 7 p.m. finals slots. I go to bed relatively early for a college student, at about 10 p.m. I stop working at about 8:30 then, and I often find it physically impossible to keep my brain focused and working after this time.

This is why I have so much trouble with the 7 p.m. finals. At 7, I feel refreshed and ready, but by the time we get to 9, I am sitting in a room, staring at an integral that I could’ve solved easily at 10 a.m., with no clue what the next step is.

I’ve heard similar reports from some students about the 8:30 a.m. time slot. For me, that’s perfect focus time, but for others, it can be just as much of a struggle as I have at 10 p.m.

I find the time slots themselves can be a barrier to success in finals. I’ve received lower grades on tests that I knew I could’ve done better, if it was just a bit earlier in the day.

Knox has three testing slots, a morning, an afternoon, and an evening. The morning and afternoon slots have two hours in between them, the afternoon and evening, two and a half. These slots could easily be pushed closer together while still leaving an hour or so for meal breaks. The morning could then start at 9:30, and the evening could end at 8:30.

Most of the time, students don’t end up with back to back finals, so limiting the time in between should not be a huge detriment to anyone.

Another barrier to success is the length. Three hours is too many hours for the human brain to focus. Science has repeatedly reported that 90 minutes is about the max we can focus before needing a break.

Some tests simply do need three hours to do, and I myself have definitely taken breaks during exams. But because of the nature of exams, one cannot pull out a book or a phone to distract their mind for fifteen minutes.

Maybe exam periods need built in breaks, where students put their tests away and can wander, read, or scroll. We say we believe in the honor code, so maybe we trust students enough to do this.

Or maybe we take it even a step further. What if we eliminated exam periods, and students could pick up their test from their professor anytime during the day (within reason) and take it anywhere in that building for however long they need. They could return the test to the professor during break times.

Possibly, this is a little too radical. But if we believe in the honor code, then let’s believe in the honor code and give every student the chance to decide for themselves when their brain works best, and give them the best chance for success.