Students must be graded. In your opinion, what type of assessment is the best?

The performance of students must be assessed in some way and there are many possibilities for doing so. I think that exams are the best method of assessment. I feel this way for two reasons which I will examine in this essay. First of all, preparing for the exam helps students remember the topic for a longer period of time. Evidently, they usually do not have access to books or other study materials during an exam. Consequently, they must memorize the material whereas those students who give presentations or write an essay do not have to memorize anything. For example, at university I once had to write an exam about a very complex topic. When I started studying, I did not remember the topics that we had covered in lectures and tutorials in detail. However, after I studied for a while, I realized that I already had a good grasp of the topic and that I was able to remember a lot of details. In contrast, in the other courses where I had to give a presentation or hand in an essay, I was not able to recall the majority of the content. Certainly, this was due to the fact that there had been no need for memorization. In short, If I had not been required to write an exam in this class, I most certainly would not have been able to remember so many details. Second, exams allow students to learn how to present information effectively. Obviously, if they have to take an exam under timed conditions, they must present a lot of information in a short period of time. Thus, students learn how to adapt to time constraints. In other words, they acquire the skill to convey their ideas in a very concise way. Clearly, this skill can prove very useful in their future careers. This is best demonstrated by my personal experience. I once took a course where I had to write a very difficult exam in just one hour. In fact, I had a lot of knowledge about this topic, but I simply did not have time to write about everything I knew. Hence, I had to summarize information while making sure that I did not forget to include relevant points. After I had written the exam I found it much easier to write in a concise way. I am sure If I had not taken this exam, I would have not learned how to write effectively. In conclusion, I am of the opinion that exams are the best way to test students. This is because exams help students memorize the topic for a longer time and because they give them the opportunity to learn how to write effectively.