Saturday, January 24, 2004
Diffidgnte
I’m taking the SAT for the third time; the previous two times have not been to the Conservatory’s expectations (regarding the first try) and my expectations (regarding the second try). This had better be the third and last try; anyway I cannot afford to take the paper again, because I need the score from this sitting to complement my A-level results. I’ve prepared for this test… not to say very sufficiently, but I ought to have enough confidence… I guess…
For the first time I’m taking the examination at Singapore Expo. Imagine sitting in the middle of a vast hall with thousands of other students (well, I did end up sitting near the centre of the hall)… feel the pressure. In fact it’s the first time for the Centre for Testing and Assessment Services (CTAS). They book this place because there are simply too many candidates who want to take January’s test. There are still last-minute candidates who stood with their cheques and registration forms in a queue that snaked all the way to Hall 6 (by the way, we’re in Hall 5).
Conducting the exam in such a large hall also proves its own logistical problems. The proctors screwed up at the beginning when they let the stand-by students (those who requested change of test date and centre at the last moment) into the hall and let them merge into the crowd of registered students (those who were already assigned places and registered for this date). They start asking the standbys to move out of the row of seats in order that they can be assigned new ones. Later the supervisor is heard screaming towards the foyer of the hall: “Anymore students outside? Anymore more? Quickly come in… we’re going to close the doors!”
All this ruckus takes almost one and a half hours. At 09:30, the papers are distributed. Then comes the daunting task of filling up our particulars on the Optical Mark Sheet. It’s not merely the simple task of “name” and “identification number”: there’s other details like address, date of birth, registration number, this code and that code… everything takes about half an hour.
Finally, at ten, we start. We’ve sit in the hall for two hours, and we’re behind schedule by one (normally most SAT exams start at nine)
Somehow I manage to get accustomed to the setting. It isn’t really that daunting, especially when I’m all bent on completing the section of my test on time. I sort of ignored everybody and everything else. I brought a watch, but didn’t really seem to glance at it. I don’t know how the hell I work so fast; I’m usually done before the “five minutes left” announcement, including the shading of the ovals on the mark sheet. Possibly it could have been the air-conditioning, coupled with the cold weather outside (it has been raining since Friday night), which provides a stimulant for the brain (thankfully I brought a jacket along; I don’t need a cold stimulant for my body thank you very much). The only thing I fear is getting a headache at the end of the test, because in my last attempt in 2003, my head was literally killing me at the end of the paper, despite the fact I had a good sleep of more than eight hours the night before. This time I only had like, if I recall, 6.5 hours. And I wake up, nearly being late.
After the two half-hour sections, the supervisor announces a five-minute toilet break, according to protocol. The Chancellor and I have to leave the hall for the toilets outside, because those inside are virtually crammed.
So are those in the foyer.
We have to trek further down to Hall 4 (my old workplace… ah, it brings back so many fond memories) before we find a toilet whose queue is still rather manageable. The lines back at Hall 5 were, scarily, like lottery queues. I guess that’s five minutes waiting for one’s turn, followed by one minute business… if everybody has to that I expect our five minute break to be stretched.
I am right.
The Chancellor and I finish and quickly make our way back. While in the toilet we overhear this bunch of guys discussing about their test… which the rules forbid during intermission. To hell with the rules, it’s not my business if they break the rules or not… but it’s terribly disgusting to hear someone else talk about a paper you’ve just done! When you finish an exam all you want to do it trash it from your mind and concentrate on whatever is coming up in the future. There’s no use going back to discuss about the answer because obviously you cannot change anything, and you only worry even more when you compare answers and realise that everyone else’s is different from yours. Then everybody starts to panic, and continue to hold this feeling when they go back for the next paper.
The break stretches into twenty minutes. After this experience, the supervisor refuses to provide toilet breaks until the very end.
The hall is silent again as we work on the following sections of the test. It is rather eerie… considering a huge, vast hall filled with people, but hardly any noise, save for a few (violent) coughs and a table crashing onto the floor and so forth. But the feeling is quite unique, especially when I’ve just experienced the John Little Warehouse Sale about a week ago; it was so noisy and boisterous, with the radio played the whole day over the PA system. Here it is like mass mourning, with hours, not a minute, of silence.
When the rain falls, you can hear it. A few times we hear a faint roaring sound as the rain intensifies. Then you hear the sounds of water dripping onto the metal roof of the hall. But most of us are unperturbed; the only thing on our minds is to finish the test before the allocated time for each section. There is no room for appreciative thoughts.
The whole thing finally finishes at two o’clock. We’ve been sitting in that dratted hall for six hours already. Everybody whoops with delight and a sigh of relief. ¶ 1/24/2004 10:32:00 pm
I’m taking the SAT for the third time; the previous two times have not been to the Conservatory’s expectations (regarding the first try) and my expectations (regarding the second try). This had better be the third and last try; anyway I cannot afford to take the paper again, because I need the score from this sitting to complement my A-level results. I’ve prepared for this test… not to say very sufficiently, but I ought to have enough confidence… I guess…
For the first time I’m taking the examination at Singapore Expo. Imagine sitting in the middle of a vast hall with thousands of other students (well, I did end up sitting near the centre of the hall)… feel the pressure. In fact it’s the first time for the Centre for Testing and Assessment Services (CTAS). They book this place because there are simply too many candidates who want to take January’s test. There are still last-minute candidates who stood with their cheques and registration forms in a queue that snaked all the way to Hall 6 (by the way, we’re in Hall 5).
Conducting the exam in such a large hall also proves its own logistical problems. The proctors screwed up at the beginning when they let the stand-by students (those who requested change of test date and centre at the last moment) into the hall and let them merge into the crowd of registered students (those who were already assigned places and registered for this date). They start asking the standbys to move out of the row of seats in order that they can be assigned new ones. Later the supervisor is heard screaming towards the foyer of the hall: “Anymore students outside? Anymore more? Quickly come in… we’re going to close the doors!”
All this ruckus takes almost one and a half hours. At 09:30, the papers are distributed. Then comes the daunting task of filling up our particulars on the Optical Mark Sheet. It’s not merely the simple task of “name” and “identification number”: there’s other details like address, date of birth, registration number, this code and that code… everything takes about half an hour.
Finally, at ten, we start. We’ve sit in the hall for two hours, and we’re behind schedule by one (normally most SAT exams start at nine)
Somehow I manage to get accustomed to the setting. It isn’t really that daunting, especially when I’m all bent on completing the section of my test on time. I sort of ignored everybody and everything else. I brought a watch, but didn’t really seem to glance at it. I don’t know how the hell I work so fast; I’m usually done before the “five minutes left” announcement, including the shading of the ovals on the mark sheet. Possibly it could have been the air-conditioning, coupled with the cold weather outside (it has been raining since Friday night), which provides a stimulant for the brain (thankfully I brought a jacket along; I don’t need a cold stimulant for my body thank you very much). The only thing I fear is getting a headache at the end of the test, because in my last attempt in 2003, my head was literally killing me at the end of the paper, despite the fact I had a good sleep of more than eight hours the night before. This time I only had like, if I recall, 6.5 hours. And I wake up, nearly being late.
After the two half-hour sections, the supervisor announces a five-minute toilet break, according to protocol. The Chancellor and I have to leave the hall for the toilets outside, because those inside are virtually crammed.
So are those in the foyer.
We have to trek further down to Hall 4 (my old workplace… ah, it brings back so many fond memories) before we find a toilet whose queue is still rather manageable. The lines back at Hall 5 were, scarily, like lottery queues. I guess that’s five minutes waiting for one’s turn, followed by one minute business… if everybody has to that I expect our five minute break to be stretched.
I am right.
The Chancellor and I finish and quickly make our way back. While in the toilet we overhear this bunch of guys discussing about their test… which the rules forbid during intermission. To hell with the rules, it’s not my business if they break the rules or not… but it’s terribly disgusting to hear someone else talk about a paper you’ve just done! When you finish an exam all you want to do it trash it from your mind and concentrate on whatever is coming up in the future. There’s no use going back to discuss about the answer because obviously you cannot change anything, and you only worry even more when you compare answers and realise that everyone else’s is different from yours. Then everybody starts to panic, and continue to hold this feeling when they go back for the next paper.
The break stretches into twenty minutes. After this experience, the supervisor refuses to provide toilet breaks until the very end.
The hall is silent again as we work on the following sections of the test. It is rather eerie… considering a huge, vast hall filled with people, but hardly any noise, save for a few (violent) coughs and a table crashing onto the floor and so forth. But the feeling is quite unique, especially when I’ve just experienced the John Little Warehouse Sale about a week ago; it was so noisy and boisterous, with the radio played the whole day over the PA system. Here it is like mass mourning, with hours, not a minute, of silence.
When the rain falls, you can hear it. A few times we hear a faint roaring sound as the rain intensifies. Then you hear the sounds of water dripping onto the metal roof of the hall. But most of us are unperturbed; the only thing on our minds is to finish the test before the allocated time for each section. There is no room for appreciative thoughts.
The whole thing finally finishes at two o’clock. We’ve been sitting in that dratted hall for six hours already. Everybody whoops with delight and a sigh of relief. ¶ 1/24/2004 10:32:00 pm
