Just For Fun: A 9 Year Old on Quizzing

Today we bring you a fun, light-hearted post! We interviewed 3rd grader KTJ about her views on quizzing. For context, note that KTJ goes to a good public school in the Northeast United States, and has many relatives who either work in education or strongly value it.

Q: How old are you, and what grade are you in?

KTJ: I’m 9 and I’m in 3rd Grade.

Q: What’s your favorite subject at school?

KTJ: I really like math, and I also like social studies.

Q: How often do you get quizzes or tests in math?

KTJ: We switch units once a month, so once or twice a month we have a quiz. Mostly we are tested on what was in one unit, but some stuff from the past too.

Q: What is the point of these tests?

KTJ: We’re learning all sorts of different things like fractions, multiplication, division…and a test is to check if we were listening and whether we actually get the unit.

Q: How do you prepare for these tests?

KTJ: You don’t get a study book or anything, you just have to do your homework and your work in class. Everybody knows you’re going to have a test at the end of the unit, so they pay attention to the teacher and try their best to learn.

Q: How do you feel about these tests?

KTJ: Usually, I’m nervous, because it goes towards my grade, so I usually take a while to do the test, and I make sure to check over my answers to make sure they’re right.

Q: Would you prefer not to have tests at all?

KTJ: I don’t really like tests, but I know that the tests are helping my teacher know if I don’t know the subject, so I kind of wish we didn’t have it, but I’m kind of glad we do because then my teacher can teach me more about the subject if I don’t know it well, and make sure I’m prepared for 4th grade.

It was interesting to see that KTJ recognizes the value of quizzes even though she says she doesn't particularly like doing them!