number 2 pencils

My exams are over, and astonishingly I think I might have passed them! I woke at 6 this morning, hoping to have a quiet tea at the Fresh Pot before reporting to the testing center at 7:30. Alas, when I arrived at the coffee shop at half past six, they were closed. Michael was nice enough to give me tea anyway, but it had to be to go. I met Dusty in the parking lot of the test place. He was taking a different exam, but it was nice to have a buddy to commiserate with me and help me find my classroom. The first section was two hours long, and it was multiple choice. The test is the Multiple Subject Assessment Test (MSAT), which means that they can basically ask you any question on any topic. I answered questions about tides, modern dance, the economics of slavery, past-particibles, Piaget’s theory of child development, volume (in the mathematical sense), and European Industrialization, among many other subjects. I am a good test taker, thank god, and I’m not prone to test anxiety (despite my weird test dreams last week). If I was squeamish about testing I would have been totally fucked and overwhelmed. How do you study for a general knowledge test? The answer is you can’t.
We got a 30 minute break between test sections. I ate a yogurt and Dusty had half a muffin. We were already pretty fried, and the worst was still coming. The second section of both of our tests were essays. I had to write 18 short essays in 3 hours. The questions were really specific and weird. The one I had the most trouble with involved an obscure quote by President Madison about pride and ambition. We had to reference the quote to some principle of government, and then state two ways in which that principle was in play today, citing examples and relating back to the random quote. Oh, okay! Bleh. Luckily the math and science questions weren’t as bad as I’d anticipated and I was able to answer most of the questions confidently. By the end of the test my left hand was all cramped and shriveled from so much writing, but at least it’s over! Yay! Dusty and I went to Ye Olde Spaghetti Factory to celebrate. Mmmm, free spumoni ice cream…
The rest of my day has been spent waiting for James, dealing with my comment section, and preparing for the brunch. My house is clean, my fridge is stocked, and I’m ready to party! I really hope the vibe is mellow tomorrow, and that everyone likes my cooking. I also hope Josh comes through with the coffee, as I only have enough for one pot.
Hasn’t this entry been incredibly, incredibly interesting? There is no read more envigorating than standardized test descriptions. Wow!