Why do we study?

You should not study for there are exams. But exams are there to ensure that you have studied everything.

Today I want to talk about education – about the purpose of exams, and the purpose of studying.

I have seen this every year that they would start studying only some days before the exams as a rule, as if that is the only season for studying. It’s okay. I do not object if that was just it. But the problem is that they think they need to study only for there are exams. In worse cases I have seen they would get a set of important questions and study only those questions as that would be sufficient to score enough marks which they desire. And in the worst cases I have seen them buying exam question papers from illegal sources, and be free of all the toil of studying and preparation.

This makes me wonder why do we actually study. I study to gain knowledge. And I believe there is no season for gaining knowledge. I recently gave final exams of M Com degree. I studied that course because I wanted to gain knowledge of that field. After attaining the knowledge I could identify myself as a master of commerce (as the degree suggests). The important thing to note here is that the knowledge would make me a master and not passing the exams. I would be a master even if I do not appear for exams. Only if I understand all the matter in the course books I am a master. Exams don’t really matter.

However, it is through exams that your knowledge is tested and only then you can claim to have become a master. So exams are necessary to test you before certifying. But those people who study only from exam point of view should ask themselves that even after passing the exams, even after scoring good marks are they really masters of that field? Of course, it will ensure best career for them, earn them respect; but in truth, do they really deserve it? They have studied only those chapters which were going to be asked in exams, so they scored well. But what about the knowledge? Knowledge is lapsed.

I believe if something is given in your course books then it has to be studied with full efforts at understanding it, no matter how unimportant it is from exam point of view. Only then you truly deserve the degree. And there is no season for studying. When you are genuinely interested in some thing you can study it throughout your life, everyday!

I complain, why do they laugh at me when I say I started studying the book long before the exams? And when I say I am studying the whole book, irrespective of importance or non-importance of some topic from exam point of view? I say I am studying for knowledge, not for exams. Even if exams are not there I will study as long as I want the knowledge.

They are not true knowledge seekers. They think education is just a tool that has to be used for securing career, and they want to use it just as much as required for attaining their mean objective. They don’t really desire to be enriched in mind, which is the basic purpose of education.

Remember, you should not study for there are exams. But exams are there to ensure that you have studied everything. So when you keep such attitude of studying only for exams you actually make the very purpose of exams void!

Exams or no exams, you have to study every single topic that is in your curriculum, if you really want to deserve the degree. But sadly, they see it the other way round. Will this attitude ever change?