There are no exams in at least lower classes thankfully, in many schools today. However, parents still expect their kids to give an outside competitive exam like olympiad. Why? The reasons quoted are as such–preparing for a tough life ahead, knowing where they stand, making them know the value of hard-work, concern that kids will only study if there is the lure of ranks.
I was not sure whether my daughter should give this exam called olympiad. So I asked her. She said she didn’t want to. I argued with her that I think she is pretty good in maths and English. So why not? Her answer was clear-she doesn’t like the olympiad books.

Well then I knew exactly what’s the thing which was bothering me about exams.
No it is not that it is unfair competitiveness and kids who do not fair well, feel bad and discouraged. The problem is, it harms the learning process of kids who are good in competitive exams.
My daughter loves reading, the words are live creatures for her. She loves to read even non fiction. In fact when I sit with my fat book of endocrinology, she cannot resist wanting to know about calcium sensing receptors and how wonderfully they manage calcium levels in blood and how important that is for human survival. These facts fascinate her.
She has all the time in the world to dwell on small fascinating wonders of the body, and the world without worrying to finish a particular amount of syllabus before some exam.
In this town of knowledge, she can choose to stay at any one place and relish the food and hospitality, without the anxiety of missing a train to some other station.
My friends have also argued that kids have to pass competitive exams so that they get good jobs. But if a kid fails to have fun in learning now, he or she wouldn’t know how to enjoy the job. So what? He/she can earn money and use that to maybe have foreign trips and enjoy.

I would rather let my kid enjoy every moment of her life, enjoying what she is doing than making her do something she doesn’t enjoy…and for what…so that she can earn money and maybe then if she has time, she can use that money to earn some fun?