I had my computer science midterm today! I was pretty nervous going in, showed up 45 minutes early to choose a seat and go over material. Of course, it turned out I’d sat in an off-limits seat, which only became clear when student after student tried to sit in seats that weren’t well spaced enough for the exam.
Actually, most of my trouble during the exam had to do with verbal and written instructions. I had a lot of trouble understanding the proctors, two older woman, and their instructions, plus I was confronted with the following guideline on the first page of the test:
“First solve in the scrap book, then copy into the designated place on the answer form."
Now, if you don’t have the slightest idea what a “scrap book” or “answer form” is, you’re probably out of luck. So I spent the first few minutes contemplating writing complete answers in both the test packet and the blank blue book I was given, but fortunately a professor came by and I had it all clarified. Everyone around me was asking questions about depth of explanation, which assumptions to make… there I was asking about the test instructions. I never thought about the extra level of stress that gets added on when being tested in a foreign environment. Familiar sheets and rules bring about a small sense of calm, at least for me, and I guess that was missing today. Fortunately, the test itself wasn’t too bad and I feel okay about it.
This weekend I’m going to the
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