Alongside continuous checks (Formative Assessments), Walnut students also take Summative Assessments — the formal Unit Tests. These are planned and structured so that exams become a routine habit, not a source of stress.
Practice Tests – Getting Exam Ready
The idea of exams is not just to test — it’s to find weaknesses and improve. If the first exam a student faces is the final one, there’s no chance to learn, adjust, or get better. That’s why Walnut students always have a revision week before exams, followed by practice tests.
Primary students → 2 rounds of practice tests.
Secondary students → 1 round of practice tests.
These help students check whether they are:
- Managing their time well.
- Avoiding careless mistakes.
- Able to put their thoughts clearly onto paper.
- Really prepared, or just feeling like they are.
By the time the Unit Test arrives, they already know where they stand and what to fix.
This planning gives equal importance to teaching and testing. There are no last-minute rushed lessons — unlike in most schools, where new content is still being taught just a few days before exams.
The Unit Test that follows is then a true reflection of their learning and preparation.
Unit Tests – Four Rounds a Year
At the end of every quarter, students sit for a Unit Test in all subjects. These are marked in the calendar well in advance.
- 4 Unit Tests a year, starting right from Nursery.
- In the early years → exams are age-appropriate. Kindergarten children don’t even realise they’re being tested!
- From Std. 1 onwards → descriptive written exams begin for all subjects.
- From Std. 3 onwards → both descriptive and objective (MCQ) questions, so students build exam-writing techniques for board and competitive exams.
- As students progress, Unit Tests gradually become longer and more comprehensive.
- Marks from Formative + Summative are combined for the overall result each quarter.
