The Dreaded Certification Exams

Responding to: http://investyourloveinvestyourlifexx.blogspot.com/

Title: “I was scared, tired and under prepared…”

So, I’m almost positive everyone has felt the same exact way as you, myself included. It’s funny because we go into the first two certification exams and we’re like, “seriously, did I just take that?” Really, we feel relieved because we’re certain this is gong to be a piece of cake. We then register for the final exam, the CST’s, so excited to take it and be DONE.

Here’s my brief story:

I have to be honest, I was not nervous for the first two certification exams. My sister is a year older than me, graduated from Adelphi a year ahead of me, thus, took the certification exam before me. She assured me that the first two were cake, and that the CST was the one I’d have to worry about. She knew people who’ve failed several times before finally passing. So, I started to get nervous. I ordered the book and when it came in I immediately opened the book and began to study. I had the same exact reaction as you, “is this for real?” I answered a few every day, but I promised myself I wouldn’t “cram” the night before the test. I would just bite the bullet and say, “Well, I’m going to get some ludicrous question where I’ll need to use the best of my knowledge to make an educated guess, and of course I’ll get some Emily Dickinson quote and have to analyze, interpret and relate it in some way I haven’t figured out yet.”

I basically woke up in the morning KNOWING that this was not going to be my last certification exam, knowing that I was going to need to retake the CST’s. I totally had that same, this-is-such-a-long-test, kind of feeling. I opened up the test and began reading. One hour…two hours…three hours later I’m up to the essay. Of course, by this point I’m so physically and mentally exhausted, not to mention the fact that I have a pounding headache from the fluorescent lights in the “multi-purpose room”, a.k.a. GYM.

I crack my knuckles (I know, I know, bad habit) and begin reading the prompt. Can you guess what my essay was on? EMILY freakin’ DICKINSON. So, at this point I’m scared because I feel like I have psychic powers, and of course nervous because I’m not so prepared for this. Luckily I’ve read just enough Dickinson to know the basics.

I walked out of the exam being excited that it was finally over, and knowing that I was, unfortunately, coming back. I had honestly come to terms with the fact that I failed.

Three months later I get an email saying that my grade would be posted later in the day. What a buzz-kill for a Friday night, huh? I received the email while I was out to dinner with my girlfriends. They told me not to open it until I got another drink. So, I chugged it, like the lady that I ALWAYS am, and opened the email. I passed.

So, here’s the moral. Keep your head up!