The academic proficiency exam was the first truly major test I’ve had in my life. It wasn’t especially difficult, and in the week or two before it, I had already worked through at least thirty or forty practice papers. The exam itself was scheduled for the afternoon of the last day of the high school entrance exams. I was typing the first part of this on the way to the test center.
For the two days leading up to it, I barely reviewed anything at all. I checked the answers on one geography paper and got 94 out of 100, watched some online geography lessons from seventh grade, and made a few review notes. Unfortunately, I forgot to push those notes to my blog, which is probably why I had time to sit here and write instead. I was completely unable to focus on studying.
History and math were the only two subjects that actually had homework left. Even then, I only half-heartedly finished one math paper. I figured I’d deal with the rest after the exam was over.
Before any exam that carries even a little importance, there’s always a crowd of lazy people with underdeveloped brains reposting superstitious images on Moments and QQ Space as if that will somehow help. I posted a status too.
I still think what I said made perfect sense.
I also had a very literal kind of headache. The night before, I had a bunch of chaotic dreams and didn’t sleep well. At six in the morning, the little beasts at home started their usual racket, and losing another two hours of sleep made me feel even worse. By the time I got up, my eyes were swollen. I might have come into contact with something I’m allergic to again.
Before leaving, I went to buy a bottle of water. To save time, I picked up my pace and ran a few steps, then suddenly realized I hadn’t really run in a very long time. At school, the only times I ever get up are to arrive, leave, get food, or collect test papers. The rest of the time I’m sitting, and during breaks I usually just sleep.
This part was written after I came out of the test center.
The school hosting the exam was much nicer than the one I attend. The classrooms were spacious and bright, the hallways were clean, and even the desks and chairs looked new.
There were two biology questions that stood out. One asked about the role of a carbon dioxide generator in a planting greenhouse. The other was about urine reabsorption in the nephron. The first one went beyond the syllabus, and the second was something I hadn’t reviewed.
Still, whatever happened, it was over.