Education: Oral exams will be banned before finals, and continuous assessment will be adopted

In a reform aimed at restructuring the assessment process in schools, the Ministry of Education has radically resolved the crisis of the overload of oral exams and practical applications that had placed a heavy burden on students and their families before final exams. The Ministry has adopted a new organizational methodology that mandates these assessments be conducted immediately after the completion of each academic unit, with grades calculated using a cumulative system and immediate electronic monitoring.

Details of the new regulations and implementation mechanism

The new regulations require all schools to conduct short oral and written assessments continuously and concurrently with the lessons, thus preventing the practice of postponing these tasks until the end of the term. The Ministry stipulated that grades must be recorded in the central system at least twice during each academic period to ensure fairness and transparency. Furthermore, the Ministry established a strict deadline requiring teachers to complete all assessment tasks two full weeks before the final exams.

Grade distribution: 60% for coursework

Based on the 2025 curriculum's grading guidelines, students can now deduct up to 60% of their total grade before entering the final exam hall. This is achieved by allocating 40 points for performance tasks and participation, and 20 points for continuous assessments. This transforms the final exam (40 points) into a supplementary element rather than the sole determining factor for a student's future, thereby increasing their chances of success and reducing exam anxiety.

The shift towards formative assessment

This step comes within the context of a strategic shift in the Kingdom's educational philosophy, moving from a focus on "summative assessment," which ultimately measures memorization and recall, to continuous "formative assessment." This type of assessment is a real-time measurement tool linked to the actual learning outcomes of each unit, giving students the opportunity to improve and address weaknesses immediately, rather than discovering them too late at the end of the year.

The psychological and social impact of the decision

This decision is expected to have a tangible positive impact on students' family and psychological well-being. Families have long struggled with the "state of emergency" that often ensues in the final weeks of the semester due to the accumulation of oral and practical exams combined with final exam preparation. This new arrangement aims to allow students to focus mentally on their final written exams and prevent the psychological stress resulting from the backlog of tasks, thus establishing a more balanced and psychologically healthy learning environment.

The context of education development and the Kingdom's vision

This approach aligns with the objectives of the Human Capability Development Program, one of the programs under the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims to raise the quality of educational outcomes. Focusing on performance skills and practical applications throughout the academic year ensures that students acquire real skills, not just memorize information, thus contributing to the development of a generation with competencies that meet the demands of the modern era and the evolving job market.