Plenty of students take part in online academic assessments regularly. It helps them identify their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. They develop self-confidence and emotional intelligence by solving complicated problems and challenging questions.
When the question why are school competition valuable arises, objective ranking of student’s performance, encouragement to attain higher academic success, and motivation to think outside the classroom becomes pivotal. Once the students complete the tests, they receive a medal or certificate, encouraging them in their academic quest for success.
One significant advantage of such competitions is the wide range of subjects they cover, including English, digital technology and mathematics. The competition questions, usually set in real-world scenarios, encourage higher-order thinking among students, besides ensuring they have an engaging experience.
But what are the other ways in which academic competitions are helpful? Read on to find out.
Reasons why school competitions are good for children
Here are some reasons why students should participate in academic competitions.
Help in developing soft skills
Students should develop soft skills because it helps them succeed in school, the workplace, and many other areas of their lives. Soft skills include emotional intelligence, leadership, strong work ethic, teamwork, and communication.
Even though classroom schoolwork is valuable in imparting these skills to children, their impact is limited. The reason is that most of these are learned with time through real-world experience.
Academic competitions encourage students to develop communication, planning, attention to detail, problem-solving, critical thinking, and adaptability.
Encourages STEM problem-solving techniques
According to a survey, STEM jobs will grow by about 8%. Students who are weak or lag in science, technology, engineering and math will find it difficult to get a job.
Experimentation and critical thinking are essential to solving problems in these subjects. Even if a student does not want to pursue a career in science or work in a scientific field, being familiar with STEM problem-solving techniques will develop their intellect, grades, and ability to tackle problems efficiently.
Helps you with job applications
Showing participation in a highly regarded academic assessment in your resume makes it stand out from the others, even if you don’t have any formal work experience.
School competitions help the students develop real-world skills, which they can utilise in various ways at the workplace. Many employers demand a solid work ethic and resilience from their employers. Demonstrating your improvement year after year in a competition reflects these qualities, besides showing that you will be applying those at your job too.
Improve chances of a scholarship
Are you applying for a private school scholarship or a gifted school program? Appearing in an assessment test will improve your chances of doing so tremendously.
Participating in a academic competitions demonstrates your qualities of being a high achiever and someone who is constantly searching for opportunities to improve. Your chances of landing a scholarship improve if you have appeared in competitions related to your application considerably.
They are enjoyable
Academic assessments are quite different from regular exams because they are fun and challenging simultaneously. The questions are designed to challenge and encourage you to think, analyse and arrive at an answer. It is the opposite of rote learning or following a dull and monotonous process.
Parents and teachers consider academic competitions extremely valuable, and students can benefit significantly from appearing in them. From helping with job applications to developing soft skills, it improves their career prospects in plenty of ways.