Stop Timed Tests – Start Measuring Knowledge
Why are teachers still timing quizzes and tests when they are supposed to measure what we know, not how fast we can show it? Time limits don’t test understanding; they test how well students can stay calm under pressure. Research from Edutopia shows that time limits raise anxiety and lower successful performance rates. Therefore, providing students more time would encourage deeper, more meaningful, and thoughtful responses and answers.
Timed tests don’t measure intelligence either, as psychologist Adam Grant states. He also notes that smarter people often take longer because they tend to double-check their reasoning. A study from Fresh Writing also found that timed tests are a major source of stress and often lead to underperformance among students. They also state that when students rush, mistakes multiply, even on the easiest of problems.
Students agree. Jonah B. (‘26) explained, “When the teacher says we have five minutes left, I stop thinking about formulas or vocabulary and start panicking about time.”
Another senior student, Ryan H. (‘26), said, “Timed tests just make things more stressful. If you already know it, what’s the point of the clock?”
As a senior myself, I have taken more timed tests than I can count on my hands. To be honest, none of them has measured anything that matters in the real world. In college, jobs, or life, success comes from understanding, problem-solving, and creativity, not finishing first. Timed tests only teach students the reality of rushing, not how to think deeply and apply what they have learned.
Some teachers argue that timed tests build quick thinking and prepare students for the future. But there is a big difference between learning to manage deadlines and being forced to race through problems just because a teacher decided to add a timer. Why add more stress and anxiety when teachers could adjust the time to grade our work? Why make students carry the burden while showing so little empathy for what it does to us?
Ask any high schooler, and timed tests are pointless. They don’t prepare us for the future; they just make learning feel like a race we were never meant to win. It has gotten to the point where we must stop with the timed tests and start measuring what really matters: knowledge.
