Research ArticleArticles
The High Stakes of Bad Exams
View ORCID ProfileJack Rossiter, View ORCID ProfileMight Kojo Abreh, View ORCID ProfileAisha Ali and View ORCID ProfileJustin Sandefur
Journal of Human Resources, November 2025, 60 (6) 2008-2037; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0621-11739R1
Jack Rossiter
Jack Rossiter is a freelance education researcher .
Might Kojo Abreh
Might Kojo Abreh is at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, University of Cape Coast.
Aisha Ali
Aisha Ali is at the Center for Global Development.
Justin Sandefur
Justin Sandefur is at the Center for Global Development.

References
- ↵
- Abreh, Might Kojo,
- Kofi Acheaw Owusu, and
- Francis Kodzo Amedahe
- ↵AERA. 2014. Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
- Agwu, Prince,
- Charles T Orjiakor,
- Aloysius Odii,
- Chinyere Onalu,
- Chidi Nzeadibe,
- Pallavi Roy,
- Obinna Onwujekwe, and
- Uzoma Okoye
- ↵
- Ajayi, Kehinde F.
- ↵
- Anzene, Solomon J.
- ↵
- Ballou, Dale, and
- Matthew G. Springer
- ↵
- ↵
- Bashir, Sajitha,
- Marlaine Lockheed,
- Elizabeth Ninan, and
- Jee-Peng Tan
- Bergbauer, Annika B.,
- Eric A. Hanushek, and
- Ludger Woessmann
- ↵
- Birnbaum, Allan.
- ↵
- Bolt, Daniel M.
- ↵
- Braun, Henry.
- ↵
- Burdett, Newman.
- ↵
- Burdett, Newman,
- Emily Houghton,
- Claire Sargent, and
- Jo Tisi
- ↵
- Burge, Bethan, and
- Louise Benson
- ↵
- Campbell, Donald T.
- ↵
- Dillard, Mary E.
- ↵
- Duflo, Esther,
- Pascaline Dupas, and
- Michael Kremer
- ↵
- Foy, Pierre, and
- Liqun Yin
- ↵
- Furuta, Jared.
- ↵
- Glewwe, Paul,
- Nauman Ilias, and
- Michael Kremer
- ↵
- ↵
- Ho, Andrew Dean.
- ↵IEA. 2018. “Rosetta Stone: Measuring Global Progress Towards SDG4 by Linking Assessments Results to TIMSS and PIRLS International Benchmarks of Achievement.” Technical Report. Amsterdam: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
- ↵
- Jacob, Brian A.
- ↵
- Kellaghan, Thomas, and
- Vincent Greaney
- ↵
- Kolen, Michael, and
- Robert Brennan
- ↵
- Le Nestour, Alexis,
- Laura Moscoviz, and
- Justin Sandefur
- ↵
- Leschnig, Lisa,
- Guido Schwerdt, and
- Katarina Zigova
- Malik,
- Ikram Ali,
- Muhammad Sarwar, and
- Aqeel Imran
- ↵MBSSE. 2019. “West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) 2019.” Report. Freetown: Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education.
- ↵Ministry of Education. 2018. “National Pre-Tertiary Education Curriculum Framework.” Report. Ministry of Education. Accra: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
- ↵
- Muraki, Eiji.
- ↵
- ↵
- ↵
- Newton, Paul E.
- ↵
- Ozier, Owen.
- ↵
- Patel, Dev, and
- Justin Sandefur
- ↵
- ↵
- Pointer, William.
- ↵
- Rossiter, Jack,
- Might Kojo Abreh,
- Aisha Ali, and
- Justin Sandefur
- ↵
- Rossiter, Jack, and
- Maimouna Konate
- ↵
- Singh, Abhijeet.
- ↵
- Smith, William C.
- ↵U.K. House of Commons. 2020. “Oral Evidence Taken before the Education Committee on 16 September 2020, on Accountability Hearings, HC 262.” House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- ↵Vanguard. 2011. “NECO Releases Results, Records Another Mass Failure.” Vanguard, September 23.
- ↵WAEC. 2019. “Manual of Procedures of Activities for Test Development Division.” Report. Accra, Ghana: West African Examination Council.
- ↵
- Wingersky, Marilyn S., and
- Frederic M. Lord
- ↵
- Woessmann, Ludger.
- ↵World Bank. 2020. “The Human Capital Index 2020 Update: Human Capital in the Time of COVID-19.” Report. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
- ↵
In this issue
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 60, Issue 6
1 Nov 2025
The High Stakes of Bad Exams
Jack Rossiter, Might Kojo Abreh, Aisha Ali, Justin Sandefur
Journal of Human Resources Nov 2025, 60 (6) 2008-2037; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0621-11739R1
Jump to section
Related Articles
Cited By...
- No citing articles found.





