Friday, April 1, 2011

Exams

Exams are horrible.Face it.No matter how much I study,I end up forgetting everything right before the exam.As usual,I study beyond saturation point on the day before the exams,and when saturation point is crossed,there is precipitation, which is also known as tears.(How come I can remember this now but not during the exams?)
I keep saying the same thing over and over again-What's going to happen?
Another famous exam time line-I'm going to flunk. Seriously,we don't just say this,we really feel it!
I wake up in the morning with a funny feeling at the pit of stomach,sure that there will be projectile vomiting of any food that enters it.The journey to school feels like a few seconds because I'm trying to study.Trying to cram in a few dates,a few equations,a few diagrams or a few formulae which I should have studied before.Even then,I don't concentrate.I think,"Oh never mind!I'll study it in class before assembly." How very wrong I am!The minute I reach class,people come rushing at me to see 'just 1 page'.They end up studying,while I end up explaining to my friend about how I'm not going to finish my paper,cry,puke,jump out the window etc.
Before I know it assembly is over and I'm mock crying with my friends.Very soon,I'm seated and papers will be given out in 5 more minutes.It's 8.30 a.m. The exam starts at 9.
I pray.I wish m friends best of luck.
8.43 a.m.-I'm sitting with my question paper upside down.2 more minutes to reading time.I drum my table.I sing the song 'Imagine' by the Beatles over and over again in my head.How come this song is in my head during an exam?
Finally the 2 minutes are over.It felt like 2 decades.The bell rings;reading time begins.
while reading the paper everything seems so simple.I think,"Oh!This is so easy!Ma'am did some of these in class!" I remember what Ma'am was wearing and how she taught that portion.I remember the 'the' and the 'but' and the 'and' in her sentences but I can't remember the main important parts,which is the answer to the question.Anyway,with a lump the size of a boulder in my throat I carry on reading my paper.
I finish reading my paper in 6 minutes and I have another 9 minutes of reading time left.So I read it again.This time it takes me 2 minutes.So I stare.I stare at the invijulator,out the window,at the table,at my watch,at the hair of the person in front of me.But reading time continues.My hands are itching to write.
Finally,the glorious bell rings.I vaguely hear the teacher saying,"Start writing and best of luck."
I zoom through the objective section A of the paper.Then I start with the terribly long section B.I check my watch.I have 1 and a half hours of the total 2 hours left.
Oh,that's a cake walk!
So,I write snail-slow,the song 'Tik-Tok' by Kesha booming in my ears.How strange!I don't even like that song much!I keep writing.Half an hour left.15 questions of 2 marks each remaining.PANIC!
I breeze through each question,feeling utterly sorry for the teacher who will have to decipher my handwriting while correcting my paper!I keep spelling 'the' like 'teh','though' misses the second 'h' and 'for' looks like 'fur'.
2 minutes left and finally I finish my paper. Sigh.Again absolutely no time to check.
I stare at the dent that my pen has left on my finger.
Very soon-"Stop writing" says the invijulator. I breathe a sigh of relief.Thank God!It's over!
I quickly ive up my paper and rush out as soon as possible after dispersal for fear of discussion. I meet up with my friends and scream,"It was horrible!I couldn't remember anything!I'm sure I've messed up atleast 10 marks!"They say the same and I repeat my famous line- What's going to happen?
While going home,i'm exalted.It's over.Then suddenly all the happiness disappears.I realise I still have 7 exams left.The horrible feeling in the pit of stomach reappears.All over again I start to worry about how in the world I'm going to finish studying for the next exam.

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