By OLAWALE TOYYIB OLALEKAN
MAC/2018/1160
Exam malpractice is not something new. Just like others, we pass through different types of examinations every day; whether formal or informal, external or internal.
The effects that follow examination malpractices could be disastrous to any student. Perhaps, it could trigger a feeling of low self-esteem regarding your academic performance but you’ll never know how threatening it might be unless you are confronted with the consequences firsthand.
So in this article, I will be talking about the effects of examination malpractices on your academic performance.
Malpractices in examination manifest as malpractice in teaching and learning. It is a deviation from the prescribed syllabus, lack of classroom discipline, absence of proper marking of answer scripts, leakages of question papers, and so on.
The negative effects of examination malpractices on a student’s academics are obvious and disastrous
- Erosion In The Faith System
The first effect is the erosion of faith in the system. This is because the system is perceived to be unfair.
If the system is unfair, the students will not take the governing rules and regulations seriously.
In such a scenario, students tend to forget all about the values that the system teaches, e.g., honesty, fairness, etc.
- It Causes Irresponsibilities
The second effect is that students may feel that they do not have to follow all the rules of examinations just because they are being forced to do so as it has no relevance to their lives.
They may even go to an extent of saying that the teachers are only making them follow certain rules and regulations so that they can benefit from it, i.e., get better grades.
- It Breeds Laziness
The third effect of examination malpractices will be on students’ performance in examinations themselves.
The students may start feeling that there is no point in studying hard as there will always be someone who will help them and do all the hard work for them.
- It Affects Student’s Study Habits
The fourth effect of examination malpractices can be very negative to a student’s academics.
This can create a domino effect, whereby the stress creates a mental block that affects the student’s study habits, and the results are not satisfactory.
This can affect their future as well as their present and in many ways, this could mean the difference between success or failure in life.
- Inability To Defend Results And Certificates
The fifth effect of examination malpractices on students is that it could affect their future employment opportunities.
They might not be able to defend their results and certificates before their employers leading many graduates to become unemployable.
- It causes Incompetence
Examination malpractices lead to poor grades. As a result of this, the individual will lose trust in himself/herself and will not be able to perform well in future assignments and tests.
This leads to incompetence and incompetence leads to poor grades and failure in courses which could not only affect his career but also his plans and goals.
- It Affects The Integrity Of A School Or Institution
Examination malpractices do not only affect students but also the school.
If there are too many cases of examination malpractices that are not addressed by the school it will affect the school’s competence and it will lose its ability to attract more students