Criticism of the Seker began right after its first year of implementation. Initially, it was a subtle critique from teachers and parents. Later, research institutes and academics joined the conversation, thoroughly examining its benefits versus its drawbacks.

In 1961, during a discussion in the Knesset Education Committee, Yaakov Banai, a leading figure in the "Workers' Stream" within the education system, stated: "The Seker causes nervous tension among students, precisely at adolescence, and in certain cases, emotional shocks... There is an opinion that tension has a positive aspect, the idea of 'let the young men play before us.' For that reason, perhaps we wouldn't be so strict, but since it is connected to the goal, and it is connected to a family atmosphere, it is clear that it causes emotional shocks. And for certain children with specific personalities and traits, it causes spiritual-emotional damage." As the years passed and it became clear how crucial the exam was for students' futures, the criticism intensified.

 

Ministry of Education officials, for their part, were adamant about continuing, while drawing lessons year by year and introducing changes and improvements. The main argument for continuing the exam was the winning claim: "There is no other alternative." High school education was not free, the budget was small, and there was no more suitable way to determine who was eligible for tuition subsidies and who was not.

Opposing the Ministry of Education's and the government's insistence were teachers, parents, journalists, and academics who, every year, reignited the debate for and against the Seker – in newspapers, on the radio, and in symposiums held across the country.

 

The arguments and reasons against were numerous and varied:

• The Seker is unjust and causes discrimination between different sectors of society, exacerbating the gaps between them.

• The knowledge questions are too hard/easy.

• Studies conducted by academics proved that different teachers gave varying grades to students' essays, and the discrepancy between them was high.

• Knowledge-based exams do not accurately reflect students' skills and abilities.

• There's no solution for learning disabilities, "blackouts," and momentary anxieties during the exam, which could cause a child to fail even if they are talented and knowledgeable.

• Success in the exam became an end in itself – Seker results led to competition between schools, accumulating prestige.

• In 1965, educator Aliza Levenberg from Tel Aviv revealed that the Ministry of Education had concealed the fact that there were systemic barriers in determining results, and "quotas for passers" were set each year. She claimed the number of passers was determined by the number of available places in academic high schools.

• The exam creates anxiety among students, many days before the exam and during the exam itself.

• The addition of the "essay" as part of the Seker exam raised the question: what were the criteria for determining the quality of the essay? While regular Seker questions allowed the examinee to choose between different answers, only one of which was correct and the others not – in the essay, everything depended on the grader's assessment, and studies showed that different teachers gave the same essay different grades.

 

It is likely that the heightened focus on the debate for and against the Seker amplified the trauma for examinees. As criticism mounted and discussion on the topic intensified – even young 13-year-old students were exposed to it, and their anxiety grew, manifesting in the days before and after the exam.

These anxieties spawned an industry of "Seker exam preparations" – nimble entrepreneurs produced preparation books containing questions and answers from previous exams, as well as tips for coping with the exam.