Tests are extremely beneficial...for teachers. It is a perfect way for a teacher to see how much a student has learned and how much information they have retained. Luckily, the tests we take at Menlo are less about seeing how many facts we retain and more about using our knowledge of subjects to make connections and come to conclusions and in my opinion, this is what tests should be about. Unfortunately, because classes involve so much factual reading, often, 50% of tests test your ability to answer multiple choice or write as much as we remember about a certain passage.
There is very little to be learned from taking a test. In fact, the point is not to learn from the test because the test is to see how much YOU have learned. However, what can be learned is common themes and how difficult certain teachers tend to make tests. Many teachers tell you what the structure is but for those who don't, you can learn what to expect on future tests from taking the first one.
In conclusion, tests are helpful depending on what exactly is tested but often lack important questions that test your ability to think.
For me, tests are not a very good way to find out how much you have learned. Often times, I know very little before the test, and I find myself studying for hours the day before. Because of this I never retain any of the information for very long. Information should be recorded more often, so that we may remember it for a while afterwards.
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