Oral and Practical Examination

In ancient education system Oral and Practical Examination was one of the methods of teaching. The Gurukulas and Saṃghas did not conduct any written annual or periodical examination like that of the modern period. So there was no written examination but the teachers frequently took oral and practical examination of their students. As a method of teaching they conducted these oral and practical examinations to test the knowledge of students. When the teacher imparted new instruction to his students he first satisfied himself after taking oral examination of his student^[1]. The Brāhmaṇas, the Upaniṣad, the Epics and the Sūtra literature mentioned that the teachers frequently took oral examination to test the quality of the student. We know that Satyakāma Jābāla was tested by his teacher. Like that Śvetaketu was also tested by his father^[2]. In the Mahābhārata^[3] also we find that Dronācārya also took practical or oral test of his students. Like the Vedic teachers, Buddhist teachers also took oral test before they started new instruction. Sometimes the senior monks took this oral test. Moreover at the end of education some oral examinations were also arranged. Like after performing the Samāvartana ceremony, the new Snātaka was presented before the assembly, where the learned scholars asked questions; if the learned scholars were satisfied with the answer of the Snātaka then they declared that Snātaka was a competent scholar. In the Ṛgveda^[4] we find such type of reference where the learned scholars assembled together and tested the competency of new learned scholar. The other scriptures also mentioned that when the Samāvartana ceremony was over then this type of examinations was taken place. In Buddhist education when the Monk performed the Upasampadā ceremony then the special assemblies were convened. In this assembly the Buddhist Monk faced volley of questions. If the assembly was satisfied with answer of Buddhist monk then the assembly gave verdict that he was a competent scholar^[5]. Jivaka^[6],the famous physician received his medical education in Takṣasilā for seven years, after which he had to undergo an examination in which he was asked to describe the medicinal use of all plants.

So we find that both the Vedic and the Buddhist education systems almost follow the similar method of teaching. But in Buddhist education we find that some time the teacher also used the story telling method. Through this the teacher imparted the moral lesson to his student. Like that the teachers also encouraged their students that they had to compose the poem. In Vedic education the story telling method was also in use. As we already mentioned that in the question answer method that some time students were confused about the instruction; then for the better understanding of student, the teacher also used the story telling method or kathā.