About Exam Stress - Part I

Alright, time to let off some steam...

You know, what's the worst part about being a part-time student? No, it is not about attending the evening classes, including Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday mornings. No, it is not the cut-throat fees you pay, although I have something to say about that. In fact, we part-time students, or most of them I know, truly enjoy the evening classes, or are at least alright with them. What stings them all is the exam stress. Bad timing this post, you say? Well, like I say, if you have a problem, tackle it early and head-on; go for the heart imperatively.

I have gone through some of the worst time, especially when I first went back to my studies. So along the way, I have picked up some stuff to lay off stress...

Once upon a time, not so long ago, I was at Ngee Ann Poly for one of my earlier paper. The room was cold as freezer and barely contained fifty people. In one glance, you could see all the students in the room, all of various ages. Believe me, it was a strange feeling sitting in that room.

Perhaps because we used to take exams with our peers in our school days, now, you see others of a much younger age. Then there are the occasional students with grizzled hair.

That day, there was this lady on my left, belly all swelled up. From what I saw, she was in such discomfort that she was sitting leaning back to more than ninety degrees away from the table top, and I wondered how the hell she is going to write. For a moment, I was thinking what if she suddenly went into labour; do we have to stop our exam to call the ambulance in? Even the invigilator was worried.

That was when it hit me. A pregnant woman is in that condition 24/7, day or night, holding that foetus in that frail body. Not to mention the morning sickness, giddiness, or what other symptoms. Yet, she was there, right next to me. What right had I to say I was stressed then? Her mere attendance was already a victory to me.