The education system of this country is one in which learning is tested through one's ability to succeed at rote memorization of information. This style of learning is not based in critical thinking or associative learning. Helen learned to understand the world around her through associative learning and, later, critical thinking. I agree with her assessment of examination times as the "dreaded hour". Examinations are often only suited to a specific kind of learner who can excel at rote memorization. Learners who think and learn in ways that are outside of what is considered to be normative by the U.S. school system often struggle with examinations, and are often unfairly deemed as unintelligent. However, the exact opposite is often true, as students who struggle with rote memorization often are engaging in more creative thinking and deeper levels of critical questioning. In addition, Helen had to go through a tedious procedure of finger spelling and typing that made testing particularly grueling for her.

Helen Keller found school examinations to be tiresome and overwhelming. Helen could not simply sit down, read an examination paper, and write the answers like most students. She instead had to have someone finger spell each question into her hand. She had to use a special typewriter to compose her answers. Then she had these answers read back to her using finger spelling. It was an exhausting and tedious affair. She considered school examinations to be the "chief bugbears of [her] college life."

Even though Helen studied diligently, she sometimes struggled to summon the information needed when the time came to answer the test questions. Despite her cramming, Helen sometimes found that the information she had learned would "take to themselves wings and fly away" when she needed it. This caused Helen to have trouble answering questions on the exam. Soon she realized that her test-taking time was up.