I recently took an analyst exam, which should be my first formal exam after graduating for several years. I almost forgot what it feels like to take an exam.
Because I was busy before the exam, I prepared hastily, but in the end, I unexpectedly ranked in the top 10, which made me wonder if it was just my good luck or if others were unprepared, allowing me to have a stroke of luck.
Speaking of exams, I have experienced many exams over the years. I will take this opportunity to write about several exams that have left a deep impression on me.
Elementary school exams that came naturally#
During elementary school, my grades were always among the top, making me a good student in the eyes of teachers and the child of others. I attributed this "achievement" to the enlightenment education I received from my father before I started school. These simple educations cultivated my interest in learning. The final entrance exam was very simple, and I also got good grades. Although these grades were not useful at that time because everyone could go to school, and most of them chose the middle school in town.
Confident junior high school entrance exam#
In junior high school, my advantage of being interested in learning continued to play its role. Although I was not among the top students, I was still above average throughout junior high school. Fortunately, I met a good homeroom teacher and a good Chinese teacher, the former guided me to view learning correctly, and the latter sparked my interest in Chinese. Even in the case of falling behind in English, my overall grades could still rank in the top ten. In the third year of junior high school, my scores in science subjects, especially mathematics and physics, improved, and I almost ranked in the top five in every monthly exam.
The last exam, the junior high school entrance exam, left a deep impression on me. I remember the night before the exam, we were studying in the classroom, and the math teacher came in drunk and shouted, "Don't worry about the exam, we have already dealt with the invigilators!" - What he meant was that the invigilators who came to our school had already been taken care of by them. After saying these words, he called me forward, shook my hand, and murmured, "Take the exam well and get first place." - He said this because in the last few monthly exams, our class had always been surpassed by the neighboring class, and I couldn't even make it into the top ten. I replied casually, "Okay, okay."
On the day of the exam, I finished the math exam with more than thirty minutes left, so I frantically recalculated it multiple times. After the exam, I happened to meet the math teacher, and I briefly exchanged ideas with him, then laughed and confidently told him that I would get a perfect score. I performed steadily in other subjects, and English did not lag behind. The junior high school entrance exam should be the exam I was most certain about, although the final rankings were not announced, I believed it would not be bad because the final result was all A+.
Fate-driven admission exam#
After the junior high school entrance exam, it was time to choose a high school. At that time, a few good friends told me that they wanted to participate in the separate admission exams of several good high schools in Liuzhou and asked if I wanted to join. Actually, I had no concept of this at that time, and now I think about it, I missed out on this lack of education. But in the end, I still participated because my first love at that time said she wanted to participate, so I went too. I participated in the preliminary exam in a daze, and then waited for the results to be announced. When the results were posted on the bulletin board by the road in the school, we went together to find our names. In the crowded crowd, I also saw my first love and her mother. After a while, a friend told me that he saw my name, and one of the two friends who went with me also found his name, but the other one couldn't find it no matter how many times he looked, it seemed that he failed. At that time, what I cared most about was whether she passed the preliminary exam - unfortunately, she and her mother confirmed several times and didn't see her name. Naturally, I was disappointed.
On the way back to the hotel with my friends, there was silence. At this point, there were two choices: go back together and then go to the high school we were targeting together, or the two of us continue to participate in the final exam tomorrow and go separate ways if we pass. After discussing it, we decided to continue participating in the final exam, but with a playful attitude. To be honest, at this point, I didn't have much motivation anymore. Even if I went to take the exam, I didn't have the mentality to review before the exam. The anticipation was far less than when I participated in the preliminary exam. The next day's final exam, I quickly finished the questions and then put down the ones I didn't know, without intending to continue thinking. I looked at my friend and gave him a look - let's leave. I felt relieved after leaving the exam room, as if I had completed a task that I shouldn't have done, but still mechanically did it. Among them, the failure of my friend and the disappointment of my first love had an impact on my mentality, especially the latter. However, fate always plays tricks on people. On our way back - I didn't expect to pass the final exam with such a sloppy answer sheet, so I didn't bother to wait for the results and went home directly - I suddenly received news that my first love had participated in the final exam, and the reason she could participate was that someone didn't come and vacated a spot for her. It turned out that opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. I had mixed feelings when I heard this news. The final result was that neither of us went to that high school, nor did we go to the same high school. But that's not related to the exam, so I won't go into it.
Disappointed college entrance exam#
If the junior high school entrance exam was easy, then the college entrance exam was uncertain. When I just entered high school, I felt like I had escaped from a cage and put my mind into other things. The old teacher had talked to me several times, saying that I shouldn't waste my potential and should focus on studying. However, I was ignorant and eventually my grades continued to decline over the three years, and the college entrance exam should be the worst one. I have forgotten the details of the college entrance exam, and I don't even remember what it felt like after the exam. I only remember attending a class meeting in the evening, watching everyone laughing and talking, as if I was the only one who did poorly. During the class meeting, I went to visit other classes and took photos with classmates. After returning to the dormitory, I called and confessed my feelings, only to receive silence in response.
Fragmented memories that cannot form a complete narrative. That's how people are, inclined to remember those beautiful moments, remembering the details clearly, and even elaborating on them. As for the bad moments, they are often vague in memory. There is a psychological term called the positivity bias of memory, which describes this phenomenon well. It is also a manifestation of self-deception.
After reviewing these exam memories, I realized that I don't belong to the category of intelligent people. Perhaps I am good at taking exams, which is why I can get good grades in each entrance exam. But when I encounter subjects that require intelligence, such as physics and mathematics in high school, I, who is good at taking exams, cannot perform well. For example, in the recent analyst exam, the difficulty was not high, and it could be passed with some skills, which is something I am good at, so I got a good score.
Having high intelligence is naturally good, but having low intelligence but being good at taking exams is not something to be ashamed of. Although I often feel a little disappointed because of this, I have never felt ashamed.