Few announcements ring in my ear as ominously as “Pop quiz!” Few announcements create the auditory slow motion, heart pounding, sweat inducing response as my brain scrambles to figure out how to get me out of this adrenalin infused pickle. 

As if a good old fashioned quiz wasn't enough.

I am now required to navigate this tiny missile as I juggle my academic, athletic and civic commitments with an expected degree of grit, determination, and effort. Countless hours are spent each night completing homework assignments, perfecting projects, and studying for scheduled assessments. This does not take into consideration the hours spent on extracurricular athletic and volunteer endeavors. Now I have to plan for “what may be?”

A majority of students take on these kaleidoscope of duties in pursuit of one thing—perfection.  Perfection 2.0 is what seems to be necessary in today’s race to somewhere. The collective “we” must expend great effort, vigilance, and planning for, well, everything, with the hope that our academic goals can also be achieved. With sometimes-high point values, pop quizzes can be the nightmare of a diligent, and overworked student. Without the benefit of notice and preparation, even top students may find themselves disappointed with their grades on a pop quiz, as the grade they worked so hard to achieve can be erased with one unexpected assessment. The guesswork and anticipation of a pop quiz forces students to cram in knowledge at an unnatural pace, and take away from efforts at something else with an actual planned deadline. 

Are pop quizzes meant to be a Darwinian test? Who can not only survive the “new normal” race but also climb the Everest of a pop quiz?  

Why are these surprise attacks even administered and supported by the teachers? Perhaps because of their own childhood trauma and newly found position of power. 

What do the results of a pop quiz really prove? Not all that much. Not only can pop quizzes negatively impact students’ grades, but they also remove one of the main reasons for taking scheduled assessments—to train students to understand the material, stay organized, and practice time-management skills. Would a cardiothoracic surgeon or attorney arguing in front of a judge be called into the operating room or a judge’s chambers before the big day? Unlikely. Why should a student be required to understand the Mass Spectrometry of Diatomic Molecules on the fly? The other threat is that if students need to anticipate pop quizzes they will shirk other initiatives which are important to their development. With only 24 hours in a day, some of those hours are meant for sleep. 

This is not to say that hybrid pop quizzes cannot be used effectively. Some teachers are rumored to use an assessment format in which students are warned about minor quizzes one to two days in advance, allowing some preparation time while also ensuring that students have not fallen behind. While there is still notice, there is no real “pop,” rather, it’s simply a quiz. Sign me up for that teacher.