Exams, Exams, Exams: Can I have Rest?

November 09, 2020
By Gauri
2 Comments

Hey Guys, you're once again welcome to my blog!

I've posted many cheerful posts, and I guess that my readers laughed, or at least smiled while reading those. But today's post is quite serious. I had been thinking to write about this since a long time, and finally decided to write it off. I'm gonna talk about the OVERwhelming exams, that I have been giving. I could've have written "we" instead of "I" because most of the ones who come to my blog are either students or college-goers.

I've been really exhausted due the many tests and exams I have given. Particularly this year, in lockdown, I have given nearly 50 tests and exams, along with excess of homework and assignments. Can you believe having tests for first fifteen days of every month? I never really imagined it would be this hard in lockdown.

Image source: Image by 1388843 from Pixabay

In the beginning of the Covid Pandemic, everything was so uncertain, and added to this uncertainty was the school studies. We were not knowing when or if classes would start this year. Our school website uploaded some assignments for use, simply to "utilize" the free time of lockdown. Nobody really expected that lockdown would extend further April.

But when it happened, and the schools were closed for yet another month. Then we knew that our school classes would be different this year. All eyes were on the new concept of "online" school.

Thanks to the pandemic, now I have to watch the screen all the time

Then somehow our classes began, and it was really exciting to study online. I was happy with this for just a few weeks, after which I felt too fatigued. I could not manage the eye strain, which came due to continuously watching laptop screen for 3 hours. Added to this was the ear pain, which was there due to continuous plugging in of earphone.

Then, we were given some project works and assignments from school, to keep us engaged, because we were free at home. Well, I like drawing the cover pages of projects, so it wasn't a boring task. The boring part was to write the content of the project, which was more or less like copying a chapter of my textbook on to a file page.

But everything went on slowly, until I was really saturated with everything. It was till the month of August, that I was pushing myself to manage everything. I thought I needed a break. But then, my school announced for the class tests...Great...

Supposed to be held next month (in September), the syllabus of the test was really BBBIIIIGGGGG!

Well, I had to study that much in eighth grade, so I got through the first test. But it was only the first test! As soon as the tests got over (by mid-September), the SECOND test was announced! And it was supposed to be held in October. We got the test syllabus, again too BBBIIIIGGGGG to be prepared in fifteen days...

I wasn't feeling great by now. It felt as if I'm a machine, who has to study and study and only study!! I am not a nerd, neither a rattu tota (means I've never done rote learning), and that means it is not possible for me to learn literally EVERYTHING is so less time. "Less time" here means learning nearly 30 chapters in 15 days.

Moreover, it was my birthday a week before tests had to begin. You might've read my post It's my Birthday and seen that I was preparing only for my birthday, not for the test. Because birthday comes once in a year!

I was feeling quite stressed by now. I was not at all willing to give the second tests. But I could do nothing. The test won't be re-scheduled, neither would I skip the test. So the only option was to go through it somehow.

I still remember how happy I was when the second test ended! Felt like I am now free-got freedom from two great obstacles...

This freedom lasted only for two days (literally TWO DAYS only). The third day after the tests were over, the online classes of my school started, two-three hours a day. In one of the online classes that day, we were given a notice. The announcement we got was much of a nightmare: My Mid-Term Examinations was going to be held after fifteen days!!!

What?!!

Could you imagine giving exams every month, and attending classes with tons of homework? I couldn't...

Meanwhile, I had also filled the forms of two olympiads too (olympiads are my all-time favourites). And one of them was scheduled the same week as my exams!! I was sinking inside books, test, exams, homeworks, and all the other things you can imagine. Although I was giving so many tests every month, I felt I was becoming dumb day-by-day.

I was now a bookworm!! I never wanted to be like that, but exams forced me to do so. It was the in October, that's the last month, and I almost decided to not study for the exams. I wanted to be FREE.

I am not saying that exams are bad, or good for anyone, but continuously giving exams (that too in an online method) for long is tiring for anyone. Exams, meant for benefitting the students, has mostly benefited me, until this year... It has been a NIGHTMARE.

And today, when I'm publishing this post, I have just completed my Half-Yearly Exams. 14 exams in 7 days!! That's 2 exams everyday, and then preparing for the next two exams on the same day! This month was hard for me. But hopefully the next month won't be as such..

Hopefully I'll have no tests or exams next month. Hopefully, I'll be able to spend time in co-curricular activities. Hopefully, I'll get time to watch a movie of my choice. Hopefully I'll be free enough to watch the videos of my "watch later" section of YouTube. Hopefully I'll get time to talk long hours with my friends. Hopefully I'll get time to spend with myself, and my family.

Hopefully...

Thanks for reading,

Gauri <3 (remember the survey you were going to attend? Here's a link again: Brighter Alleys Survey)