WHAT EXAMINATIONS TEST

Examinations play a dominant role at school level in all countries. They determine the future of candidates in many ways. However, what do national examinations actually assess? In a previous study in Bahrain, it was clear that students had reservations about the way they were being assessed. This paper follows this up by examining examination data in all subjects undertaken for over 7000 school students in their final school examinations. The data were explored statistically, including the use of principal components analysis. The findings reveal some interesting problems and, perhaps, the most pressing one was the finding that all examinations in all subjects were measuring one variable only. A look at examination papers showed this to be recall. The findings are related to previous findings and suggest a widespread problem in considering quality in secondary education in that schools will focus on the rewards given by national examination systems. Thus, assessment motivates the focus on memorisation.