Exam "Bhooth"

Recently I came very up, and dangerously close to exams, nearly after maybe fifteen years .(my masters exams were much different). I am not trying to put down anybody here but am only trying to evaluate what our education system has done to all of us !
what kind of fear and threat it poses ? At any age, when the word "exam" is uttered we immediately start behaving like the little ones who are threatened by this word. Who are made to feel that your worthiness is determined by this Bhooth called "exam", Where we are made to justify all our intelligence by answering word to word as to what is required of us.
How we start evaluating ourselves against this bhooth !

People didn't sleep, they couldn't give the paper before the bell rang ! They had to sit till it was time up. They wrote more than what was asked for it was for more marks ! I can only say these are the by products of the way our education is structured.
We went around collecting question papers, trying to get as much information as possible from the teacher as to what may appear in the exam. I felt somewhere the whole objective of assessment was getting lost. To the extent that, I went and asked a professor that I need some clarification on something , for which she said " don't worry ma, it will not come in the paper " !
I was saddened.
I am no exception to this system and that I could beat this "bhooth". I also had to face this the same way. I had to rely only on my rote memory for the most part. Luckily I am blessed with the kind of memory which co-operates with me most of the time, i am not threatened by this "bhooth". But I had to use only my "rote" memory for the most part , rather my intelligence of the concept. For me exams was a routine to finish rather than a means to assess my worth or prove it to somebody else.
To an extent I have to thank my parents for not evaluating me based on my marks in my early years. I feel it has a lot to do with how I perceive my exams today. What they mean and how much they much ? is decided by me for me .

"Exams" the way it is structured and evaluated no way is geared to real learning and understanding. The whole idea of assessment through exams is defeated . Exams should be a means to assess the understanding of the concept and hence make improvements either in teaching methods or address the issues with the child having problems understanding the problems. Rather assessing or grading your intelligence on the marks.