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Student Corner

Six Reasons Your Grades Do Not Define Your Intelligence

Written by: Rushav Paneru - 28018, Grade VII

Posted on: 10 June, 2022

A fixation on tracing our growth and abilities by applying an identical grading scale gets implanted in us at an early age. By the time we reach adulthood, numerous people simply accept this as the only technique to measure what we can do.

That is a large problem – because grades and intelligence are two very different things.

Here are six reasons why grades and your intelligence are not identical.

1. Grades do not reflect your abilities.

You might know the assignments covered in school, but still, be incompetent to restate that into performance once it is up for a grade. Your internal and spirit are vital factors. As an example, plenty of individuals suffer from test anxiety that may make it problematic to succeed – regardless of how well you understand the fabric. The concept that your present state can run over your intellect is smart because, biologically speaking, your feelings have the simplest way of absorbing in certain situations. If you are weird or anxious, your brain will want to try and do one thousand things aside from completing a fancy assignment. So do not be surprised if someone underperforms on a task; perhaps it is because they are too stressed to concentrate.

2. Grades are decreased than comprehension

If you study to memories materials for a test…well…congrats, you have learned to require that test. It does not mean you have learned the fabric, though.

A lot of what you will find on a typical written test relies on rote memorization. Facts and stats simply spilt onto a page without much context or need for deeper problem-solving. This approach cannot accurately measure abilities. You may further just play a game of Simon Says. That’s why grades are not quite effective at measuring comprehension. You wish to be engaged and challenged to unravel problems in new ways. This is often something that does not often translate to the quality grading rubric.

3. You can not quantify your strengths.

As humans, we are lots else than simply numbers on a page. Each folk has an unimaginable type of different strengths and gifts. The capacities generally measured by grades only cover a collection range of them. Intelligence is simply one of the uncountable variables that may impact your grades. Grades are a flat, static scale that is not as useful if you are trying to gauge something as dynamic as a person’s intellect. No single scale can provide you with an honest study of a person’s unique mixture of capacities, talents, work principles, creativity, leadership skills, and the way those traits affect each other. Looking forward to abstract metrics to define your strengths may lead you to miss out on great chances.

4. There are different styles of intelligence.

Imagine you have got three people: a physicist, an expert historian, and a master artist. They are splendid on their own. But if you measure them in step with the skillsets of the opposite two, they may all look unremarkable after you grade their papers. It is a bit like that quote we talked about earlier. In the same way, they can not adapt effectively to account for the balance of strengths and failings in all and sundry, grades also fail to acknowledge unique, conditioned bits of intelligence in larger populations.

5. Your passion matters more.

Intelligence refers to one’s capability to be told, understand, and apply knowledge and skills. But it does not count for much if you do not have the drive to try and do any of these things. Nevertheless, you are unlikely to take a position of meaningful energy in trying to know it, if you are studying something you do not look out for. Therefore, someone with a passion that pushes them forward is more likely to come back out sooner than someone who can be a genius, but who is not motivated. That’s not to say you will not be allocating time and energy to some stuff you do not look out about. But once you identify what you are obsessed with, you will be able to learn to follow paths that will play to your strengths instead of your weaknesses.

6. Intelligence can still change.

You have presumably heard that your intelligence will not ever change, that your study capacity will remain largely identical throughout your life. Nevertheless, numerous experts believe there is a good chance it could change over time. There's an inspiration referred to as the Incremental Theory of Intelligence which means intelligence can be developed and enhanced through training. People who accept this hypothesis are more likely to embrace challenges, be persistent, and learn from past mistakes compared to those that believe that intelligence is stationary and unchanging. I prefer this view. By engaging in exercises to coach your mind over time, you will be able to boost your intelligence and shape your reality.

No one system could ever define your overall intelligence. This realization goes two ways. Even as grades do not dictate your intelligence, your intelligence also does not dictate your grades.