Fun: The Stages of Taking an Exam

 

A little (fun) insight from me on what happens before, during, and after any given exam paper on exam days, 100% based on personal observation.

• Before the exam:
  
  
  
  Basically a lot of last-minute cramming/review (whatever you call it) and a little chatter.The moment you step into the school yard, you will see people with books in their hands. Some just bring pages of self-made notes and speed-read through them, while others flip rapidly through the thick textbook hoping to refresh the brain with some hard facts.
  
  However I have this aching feeling that I long for doing before an exam, that is to calmly go through major/hard facts as a whole and relax the last 10 minutes or so before an exam, praying silently. I'm going to do that for STPM (hopefully) to reduce my stress level.
  
  
• During the exam:
  
  
  
  During the first hour or so, basically you can hear pencils and pens moving about on table surfaces, and the occasional cough or gust of wind that makes someone's papers fly all over the place.
  
  Towards the second hour or the 2 1/2 hour mark the scenario tends to be more relaxed. Depending on the paper, some people are finished and flipping over the pages to check their answers. There may (normally will) be a few people headed towards the toilet...to reduce stress perhaps?
  
  Of course some folks immediately can be seen with their heads flopped down on the table after finishing...(you know what I mean)
  
  From about 10 minutes to the minute the teacher says "Put your pens down", there's a feeling of anticipation in the air. Most people are done by now and can't wait for the exam to be over, some are still checking their answers and/or mulling over difficult questions, and there is whispering all about (I don't mean cheating here, just chatting)
  
  And then there are also some folks who are writing frivolously all the way until the last available second.
  
• After the exam:
  
  
  
  First a surge of relief comes over you - it's over! But until the very last day of the exam, this surge is quickly overcome with focusing on what's coming next.
  
  Then there's also the comparing your answers and asking around sessions for the recently over paper, which even though satisfies the "want to know" instinct but also leaves some disappointed over getting some of the answers all wrong (happens to me all the time)
  
  On the very last day of the exam, almost nobody worries about what's correct for the last paper much (until results are out...) because come on, it's over!
  
  As for the last day of STPM, well I think it'll be bittersweet because it's the very last day of high school in my life (no more school after this, at least after form 5 there is still form 6 but now...) and you won't see your friends much after that, but it's also sweet because it's the last I'll see of cram everything-into-one sort of public exams (uni exams are another story) and also a step into a new stage of life all together.
  

PS: Honestly my study notes are all in my head and cramming them all into the computer takes up a huge chunk of my time, so I'll keep them in my head for the time being and post study notes on specific subjects (like my Pengajian Am posts previously) after the exams end next Monday (I can post the trial questions here and corrections too after that).

Image sources: (1), (2), (3), (4)