The Watcher's test

The test itself is barbaric imo, and I agree that seems more like a way to dispose of a Slayer rather than prove her power. Its like locking Willow up alone with a vampire before she hones her powers - nothing more than a death sentence. And for that matter, at 18 she might consider wanting a semblance of normal life and thus get "distracted" in the eyes of the council. Buffy was an anomaly as a Slayer who was still alive at 20, wasn't she? The more I think about it, the more I see them as very deceitful power players with their own personal warrior whom they want at their beckon call and nothing more.
 
We have seen that the longer Buffy lasts the more powerful she becomes, so not only do they have these tests, they also keep the Slayer as busy as they can, if there are no evils to fight then they will find some. This another way in which Giles differs from what we see from most Watchers, he occasionally encourages Buffy to take downtime this another reason that she has lasted so much longer then other Slayers. She will take brief breaks from the fight, to come back fresh to fight again.
 
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