Saturday, June 21, 2008

The Exam

1) Thank you to every single person who left an encouraging comment about my exam. I read (and re-read!) all the comments, and I immediately felt calmer and uplifted. So, thank you for your kindness and support! 2) I learned something really important through this test-taking experience. (Besides that a peanut butter sandwich makes an excellent pre-test snack...) The night before the test I started to go through another bout of worry and nerves. Then I realized that worry was the product of looking at the situation negatively. Worry meant that I was looking at the situation as a chance to fail. Instead, why not look at it as a chance to succeed? I usually try to look at the positive side of situations in my regular (non-academic) life, so why wouldn’t I treat this situation the same? That switch of mindset definitely helped me. I still got a few nervous jitters before the test, but I felt much better. 3) So, yesterday morning I sat with the test in front of me and I took a deep breath. I collected my thoughts and dove into the essays, scribbling (hopefully legibly) as fast as I could. So far, so good, I thought. And then the lights went out. I sat in a completely dark and windowless room, ready to panic. Will my test be disqualified? Is there a flashlight near me? Am I allowed to scream like a girl in the testing room?? Then the lights came back on. Thankfully, they stayed on the rest of the time, and everything else went ok. But, it’s an experience I’d rather not repeat anytime in the near future. It was 6 hours total (with a lunch break between the morning and afternoon sessions) and 4 essays. I wrote 25 full pages until my hand was sore and cramping. 4) I feel so relieved that the test is finished. I'll find out how I did in a few weeks. I still have 4 more weeks of class work, but I don’t think any of it will compare to the exam. Hopefully, the only hard part will be deciding which restaurant to celebrate at when it’s graduation time.

8 comments:

Ann M. said...

It must have been very weird to sit there when the power was out. I'd probably be afraid that they'd want to cancel the test and make us all come back!

Good for you that you changed your outlook on it to something much more positive, and hooray that it's over with!!

K.C. said...

What an excellent outlook.. the only one to have.. I am sure that is what put you straight over the top! Way to go! Kayce

Bon said...

The lights went out?! Ewwww.

I checked for a post to see how you had done, you hadn't posted yet. So glad to hear you changed the way you were thinking.

I remember my exam and it was torturous and I had no real idea how I did.

A REALLY SPECIAL restaurant will be in order I'm thinkin!

Vypergirl said...

Yay!! Test all finished! Now you can enjoy the rest of your weekend! With the lights on :)

Leslie said...

Congrats on finishing your exam! That in and of itself is a great accomplishment. And I think it's awesome that you changed your attitude - I think it's important to visualize success rather than always anticipating failure.

K.C. said...

Thanks for the encouragement!

You are right... the savings are adding up.. quicker than I thought.

It is actually so much more fun than I thought.. It is so much more than the money, that has been the biggest surprise for me...

Have a great day, now than you can relax.. and I agree with bon..I'm thinking a good restaurant is in the cards.. Kayce

Manohar said...

Hi,

So now that you have finished the test, you can concentrate on your marathon better. Let us hope for a great result. All the very best!!

Cheers;
Manohar.

Unknown said...

AWESOME! Aren't you glad it is over!!