My First Test

Last week I had my first CSC165 test. I don’t know if it was the fact that this was the first university test I’ve ever taken but I had an unexpected experience writing it. Going in to the exam room, I felt very confident. Since there was quite a lot of overlap between my MAT137 course and this, I felt that I had every concept learned forwards and backwards. I only filled up half of one side of my cheat sheet, and I found the practice test really easy. So going into the room, I was pretty high on confidence.

                My friend Rocky, on the other hand, was getting pretty nervous about it. I was confident that he knew everything and that he’d do well, but he never really settled down. He kept telling me that I shouldn’t be so confident and that the test would be harder than it seemed, and I kept reassuring him. Then we both sat down and started the test.

                The first part was pretty easy. In fact, I had no difficulty with every other question other than the last one. There was a big overlap with the practice test, so I knew it was something that I’d done successfully before. Just to be sure though, I double, triple-checked all of my answers, and played out the logic in my head numerous times per question. It was at the last question, however, that disaster struck. The last question was very similar to the one question that I couldn’t answer on our first assignment. On top of that, there was only 10 minutes left to complete it! I quickly gathered my focus and started writing all of my thoughts down on paper, so that even if I was wrong, I’d still be eligible for part marks. As I was writing, my pen stopped working. It had ran out of ink. Luckily, one of the advising TAs lent me her pen so that I could finish the exam. I tried my best, but in the end, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

                I felt leaving the exam room dumbfounded. I was disappointed in myself for being overconfident. Rocky, on the other hand, took things slow and steady, and had come up with the right answer to the last question. It was almost like the story of the tortoise and the hare. That day, I learned that when doing exams, I should always keep track of the time, and never underestimate the assignment. After all, U of T is notoriously the school where everyone fails.