Do you think that the examination system gives undue advantage to a good memory and takes no account of character,and is being condemned for it?

I'm not sure that character is an element in the
examination system; other than that every student should do his best and only turn in
work that is his own. Those who are less than honest should not be sitting for exams in
the first place.

As far as rewarding memory, it depends
greatly on the way the exam is structured and worded. Many exams are written at a level
such that the student must understand the material to respond correctly to the answer.
Exams which simply call for recall based on rote memorization indeed reward those with
good memories who may not understand the material at all. I often quote a poem to my
students in French which I do not understand at all--but I memorized it 40 years ago.
There is a significant difference between memorizing and
understanding.

Another issue that is more of a concern is
test anxiety. Some students freeze at the thought of an exam, largely because teachers
tend to threaten them with "outer darkness" if they don't do well. Others who are free
thinkers do not do well on multiple choice questions as they don't think iin terms of
absolutes. So there are problems with the examination system, but if the exam is
properly drawn, memory should only be a minor factor.