Most students can relate to one thing when it comes to college: the fear of test taking.

We all dread that moment when the professor is handing back a test you spent all weekend studying over. You hear your last name get called and see the professor walking toward you. You’re starting to feel the nerves rush through your body, and the anticipation of checking the grade you received becomes so large you think it’s going to swallow you whole. Before you even check what the red ink has to say, you say to yourself, “Please tell me I passed.”

And bam! You’ve missed the passing score by one or two points. It’s probably one of the worst feelings, knowing you studied all week long, and the results still aren’t good enough.

What’s even worse is knowing that your overall grade depends on these tests. You read the syllabus and see the class is made up of three tests or so, and some students are on the verge of failing the class because of these tests.

It feels unfair knowing that you can fail a class because of missing a test by a couple of points. You never know; some students may not be the best test takers. You shouldn’t be punished just because of the score you received on a test.

There is so much more when it comes to taking a class. Participation should be a key factor, because it shows the interaction between the students and the class. It also shows the student is engaging with wand studying what the professor is teaching them as well.

It’s not just participation that’s important, it is attending classes as well, because it shows that the students want to be there and are interested in learning the material. It shouldn’t just be test taking that maximally influences our grade. Everything should be put into consideration.

Participation should not be five percent; it should be more like 25 percent. Just think, 25 percent participation, 25 percent attendance and 25 percent essays and other assignment. That’s already 75 percent of the grade that helps to offset your final grade in case you fail the exams.

This is not to say that tests shouldn’t count at all, because they are vital to American curriculum. It tells the professor if the students are reading over the material and studying as well. But what should be put into consideration is not having a pass or fail because of the test; there should be an equal level of test scores, participation, homework and attendance points.

Students shouldn’t have to stress out just because they’ve failed a test or two. Students should feel as though they can go to their professors and talk with them to see what they can do to improve test scores and their overall grade. The professors are there to help you out, not pull you down.

So the next time you receive a score that you’re not happy about, meet with your professor and see what you can do to improve your scores.

But remember, there’s so much more to you than just that one test.