Blank your exam – get a better grade?
My fresh-out-of-high-school mind was blown away! You could choose not to hand in an exam and not fail immediately? The idea was completely strange to me.
Blog | 29. May 2017
What is blanking an exam? Should it be allowed? Is it used as a strategy? And more importantly, is using it as a strategy ok? These are common questions often surrounding the notion of blanking an exam – a concept that has become more and more prominent as the exam period approaches. To give me more food for thought on this matter, I enlisted the help of two students at CBS.
The first time I became familiar with the concept of blanking an exam was during my first semester at CBS, where I attended a meeting with a mentor for my study program. At the time, my mentor was explaining to us that there was an option to blank an exam and retake it at a later period. This is where my fresh-out-of-high-school mind was blown away. You could choose not to hand in an exam and not fail immediately?!
Just for a bit of context, the option of submitting a blank exam is given to anyone submitting a hand-in. A student may choose to hand-in a blank exam, and thereby move on to the re-take. This means that the student has then foregone one of the three chances (the original, the re-take and a third attempt) they have to pass the exam and the course.
I have come to discover that this is a common concept across the study programs at CBS. Mihika Deb
When I first became aware of the possibility of blanking an exam, the idea was completely foreign to me. It didn’t make any sense at all. However, over the past five semesters that I have spent at CBS, I have come to discover that this is a common concept across the study programs at CBS. The opinions on it do however vary, and many share the same doubt and questions about it. That’s why I asked for students Katrine Østergaard and Nicolai Faust’s help to answer some of these questions.
When I approached them with my questions, I gave them the option to keep their identities anonymous to a given degree, which both of them agreed upon. Therefore their names have been altered for the purpose of this article. Katrine is currently a Master’s student studying MSc. Management of Innovation and Business Development, while Nicolai is in his second year of his Bachelors in BA. Intercultural Market Communication.
I asked both of them similar questions, and their answers are presented in the sections below, providing a bigger insight into the concept of blanking an exam and what motives lie behind.
So there you have it. Those were all of my questions and concerns regarding blanking an exam – a big thank you to Nicolai and Katrine for coming forward with their experiences. What are your experiences and opinions on the concept? And have they changed in any way after having read this piece? Let me know below, I’d love to hear your opinions.
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