The “nature” of the exam as a discussion

In essence, what is an exam? In my view, it is a discussion. A discussion taking place between you, i.e. your exam script, and your examiner/course leader/lecturer.

Niccolò Machiavelli, in a 1513 letter to his friend Francesco Vettori, wrote the following:

‘Once the evening has arrived, I come home and enter my study. In the entryway I take off my daytime clothing, covered with mud and dirt, and I put on garments that are royal, and suitable for a court. Changed into suitable clothes, I step into the ancient courts of ancient men. Received lovingly by them, I nourish myself on that food that alone is mine, for which I was born. There I am unashamed to talk with them and ask them the reasons for their actions, and they, with their humanity, answer me. For four hours I feel no boredom, I forget all worries, I do not fear poverty, and am not dismayed by death. I give myself to them entirely.’

Machiavelli put on his best clothes when entering his study to read the Greats, i.e. Plato, Aristotle and their peers. Why? Out of respect, because he felt that he was discussing with them when reading their thoughts. You wouldn’t converse with Plato in your pyjamas now, would you? It wouldn’t be a good idea I think, especially given that Plato was a skilled wrestler; not a person you want to piss off.

More seriously, coming back to my original point about exams: think of them as a discussion. And in this discussion, your goal is to help the reader answer a single question: has this student evolved since the start of this course? Or am I (the examiner) reading a script that could have been written by a student in, say, September? This is important to your examiner. It shows that her teaching and her efforts have had their intended impact and that she is reading the work of a student that has truly taken in all the lessons of their studies.