Are Exams Really Showing What Students Know? What Colleges Need to Rethink About Assessment

A student scores 85% in an examination. Another scores 72%. The first student appears to have performed better, but the marks don't explain everything. Did the first student understand the concepts more deeply? Did the second student improve significantly from an earlier assessment? And what should either student work on next?

These are the questions colleges need to consider when deciding how to assess learning. Examinations remain important, but students also need opportunities to identify mistakes, receive feedback and improve before their performance is formally evaluated.

Understanding the difference between formative and summative assessment can help colleges make that happen.

Formative vs. Summative Assessment: What's the Difference?

Formative assessment helps students and educators identify learning gaps while learning is taking place. Summative assessment evaluates what students have learned at the end of a course, unit or defined period.

The difference lies in the purpose of the assessment and how the results are used.

A quiz, for example, can be formative when students use their mistakes to understand a topic better. The same quiz can be summative when its marks contribute to the final grade.

The format alone doesn't determine the type of assessment. What matters is whether the results are being used to improve learning or evaluate achievement.

Why Formative Assessment Deserves More Attention

Imagine a lecturer introducing a difficult concept in an engineering class. The students appear to understand the explanation, but when they attempt a problem independently, many make the same mistake.

Without a check during the lesson, the lecturer might not discover the misunderstanding until the final examination. By then, students have missed an opportunity to correct it earlier.

A short quiz or classroom exercise can reveal the problem while there's still time to address it.

Research supports the potential value of this approach. In their 2021 systematic review published in Review of Education, Rebecca Morris, Thomas Perry and Lindsey Wardle examined evidence on formative assessment and feedback in higher education. Their findings identified low-stakes quizzes as a promising approach and found benefits from certain forms of peer and tutor feedback, while noting that results depend on implementation and that the evidence base has limitations. You can read their systematic review of formative assessment and feedback in higher education.

For colleges, the practical lesson is to give students opportunities to check their understanding before a final assessment, then use the results to decide what needs further explanation or practice.

Five Ways Colleges Can Use Formative Assessment

Formative assessment doesn't have to mean adding more tests to an already busy academic schedule. It can be built into regular teaching.

1. Short quizzes that reveal misunderstandings

A five-question quiz at the end of a lesson can show whether students have understood the main concepts.

For example, a lecturer teaching database management could use a short quiz to check whether students understand database normalisation before moving to more advanced topics.

The useful part isn't the score itself. It's what happens afterwards. If several students struggle with the same concept, the lecturer can revisit it before the class moves forward.

2. Feedback on assignments before final submission

Students often discover problems in their assignments only after receiving a grade. Reviewing an early draft gives them a chance to identify those problems sooner.

A lecturer might point out that a student's report has relevant evidence but doesn't explain how that evidence supports the conclusion. The student can then revise the argument before submitting the final version.

This approach is particularly useful for research projects, technical reports and assignments that require several stages of development.

3. Classroom questions and discussions

Sometimes, asking students to explain their reasoning reveals more than asking them to choose the correct answer.

A lecturer might ask why a particular solution works, what assumptions it depends on or how the answer would change under different conditions.

These discussions help educators understand whether students have grasped the underlying concept or are simply repeating something they have memorised.

4. Peer review

Students can review one another's work using clear assessment criteria.

For example, students preparing presentations could evaluate whether the main argument is easy to follow, whether the evidence supports the conclusions and whether the recommendations are relevant.

Peer review needs guidance. Students should know how to provide constructive comments and should not be expected to replace the lecturer's judgement.

5. Self-assessment

Students can review their own work against a rubric or checklist before submitting it.

This encourages them to look at their work more carefully and identify possible improvements.

It can also help them prepare better questions for their lecturers because they have already considered where they may be struggling.

Why Summative Assessment Still Matters

Formative assessment helps students improve, but colleges also need to evaluate what students have achieved.

Final examinations, graded assignments, practical examinations and end-of-semester projects can help institutions determine whether students have met the expected learning outcomes.

These assessments matter for grading, academic progression and programme evaluation.

The problem arises when a final score is treated as the complete explanation of a student's ability.

Two students might receive similar marks for different reasons. One may understand the material but struggle to organise an answer. Another may write clearly but misunderstand a fundamental concept.

A final score communicates the outcome, but earlier assessments and feedback can help explain what contributed to it.

This is why formative and summative assessment should complement each other rather than compete.

Can One Assessment Serve Both Purposes?

Yes. The same activity can be formative or summative depending on how it is used.

Consider a programming assignment. If students submit an early version, receive comments and improve their code, the activity supports formative assessment. If the completed assignment is graded against the course requirements, it serves a summative purpose.

Colleges can use this principle to make assessment more purposeful. Instead of creating a separate test for every learning objective, they can decide which activities should help students improve and which should evaluate achievement.

Students should also understand the purpose of each assessment. They need to know whether an activity is intended for practice, feedback or grading.

How Colleges Can Combine Both Approaches

A practical assessment plan can follow the natural stages of learning.

At the beginning of a course, a short diagnostic activity can show what students already know.

During lessons, quizzes, classroom questions and draft reviews can help lecturers identify misunderstandings.

Before major examinations, practice activities and feedback can give students time to address weak areas.

At the end of the course, examinations or graded projects can evaluate achievement against the learning outcomes.

This creates a clearer connection between learning, feedback and final evaluation.

It also gives educators opportunities to adjust their teaching when several students struggle with the same topic, rather than waiting until the end of the semester to discover the problem.

Assessment Beyond Academic Marks

For colleges, student development doesn't stop at passing examinations. Students also need opportunities to apply their knowledge, communicate ideas, solve problems and work with others.

These capabilities are relevant when students move towards internships and employment, although they should be evaluated using appropriate methods rather than inferred from academic marks alone.

Colleges exploring this broader picture can read ChangeBegins' guide to career readiness and job readiness. The career readiness skills checklist also provides a useful starting point for considering the capabilities students may need to develop.

ChangeBegins approaches student readiness through assessment, capability insights and development planning. Its Job Readiness Platform is relevant to institutions looking beyond academic results when planning student preparation.

Academic assessments and job-readiness assessments serve different purposes. Colleges should select each method according to what they need to understand and avoid treating any single score as a complete picture of a student.

Common Assessment Mistakes Colleges Should Avoid

One common mistake is grading every activity. When every quiz, exercise or draft carries significant weight, students may focus more on marks than on learning from their mistakes.

Another is collecting assessment results without acting on them. If a quiz reveals that most students have misunderstood a concept, the lecturer should consider whether the topic needs to be explained differently.

Colleges should also avoid assuming that more assessments automatically lead to better learning. Each activity should have a clear purpose and provide information that someone can use.

Before introducing an assessment, educators should ask a simple question: What will we do with the results?

If the answer isn't clear, the assessment may need to be reconsidered.

Final Thoughts

A final examination can show what a student has demonstrated at a particular point. It doesn't always show what the student struggled with along the way or what would help them improve.

Formative and summative assessment address these different needs. One helps students and educators respond to learning difficulties; the other evaluates achievement.

When colleges use both thoughtfully, assessment becomes more than a process of assigning marks. It becomes a way to understand progress, address misunderstandings and give students a fair opportunity to improve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between formative and summative assessment?

Formative assessment helps students and educators identify learning needs during the learning process. Summative assessment evaluates achievement against defined learning outcomes, usually at the end of a course, unit or assessment period.

Is a quiz formative or summative assessment?

A quiz can serve either purpose. A practice quiz used to identify misunderstandings is formative. A graded quiz used to evaluate achievement contributes to summative assessment.

Which is better for college students?

Neither is universally better. Formative assessment supports improvement, while summative assessment evaluates achievement. Colleges generally need both, designed around their learning objectives.

What are examples of formative assessment in higher education?

Examples include practice quizzes, classroom questioning, draft submissions, peer review, self-assessment and feedback on work in progress.

How does formative assessment help students?

It can help students identify misunderstandings, receive feedback and practise difficult concepts before final evaluation. Its effectiveness depends on how the assessment and follow-up activities are designed.

‍