March passed by in a blur, as a new wave of hysteria marked the arrival of April for many students. I’m not referring to all students, but specifically to those who had to sit for their CAIES examinations by the end of April. I was one such student.

It was my first time taking the CAIE examinations, so, naturally, I was on an emotional rollercoaster since the timetable was published sometime in November last year. As ambitious as I am, around September I began planning for the revision of the subjects I’d be tested on. I endeavoured to adhere to my rigorous schedules while covering most of the syllabus. However, I failed to do so. There are various reasons for my shortcomings, including lack of consistency and poor time management.

Eventually, I resorted to cramming, which, I must confess, isn’t the most effective approach. The final months coincided with the holy month of Ramazan and the festive occasion of Eid. Even during Ramazan, I made every effort to cover the entire syllabus, utilising various study techniques and consistently revising my study schedules. Sadly, I remained inefficient and couldn’t quite crack the code of effective studying during Ramazan.

Finally, the day I had been dreading for so long arrived. It was April 26th, the day of my first exam, the Islamiyat Paper 1. The day before, I made one last effort to cover as much course material as possible. I was fine for half of the day, until the realisation of the paper being the next day hit me hard, and anxiety came rolling back, embracing me in its cold grip. My mind started to recall all the ominous things I’d heard about CAIE examinations. However, I knew I couldn’t let that stop me from doing my best.

Sitting for exams can be an emotional rollercoaster ride, one that we can never be well-prepared for, despite all our planning and sincere efforts

So I took a shower, offered Isha prayer and, with great difficulty, pushed aside all my revision notes and flashcards to retire to bed.

The next morning, I woke up slowly with a heavy head. I double-checked that I had my Statement of Entry, my ID card and my writing supplies with me. Since it was a morning exam, we had to leave early. I suppose that’s how we students approach exams — feeling unprepared and doubting our overall knowledge and abilities. I knew we had arrived even before my dad told me, due to the swarm of cars around the examination centre, like bees around a hive.

Moments later, I found myself inside the examination hall, as spacious as an open prairie. It was vast, with hundreds of chairs and desks arranged in neat rows. I walked across the carpeted floor to my seat. The air conditioner hummed softly, casting a serene ambience.

Everywhere I looked, I saw faces weary from the hard work they had put in. At the front of the hall, three digital clocks illuminated the room with their precise time displays.

Time passed quickly there. One moment, I was sitting, doing some breathing exercises I had learned to calm my nerves, the next moment, I anxiously awaited the invigilator to hand me the question paper. I filled in all the necessary details as I received the paper and sat still until the exam supervisor announced the start of our exam.

Suddenly, the once quiet room filled with the sound of everyone turning their pages as if a flock of birds had taken flight all at once. When I saw all the questions and realised I could attempt all of them except the last one, which I could leave since I had to choose between two questions, I felt a hundred times better. With that, the exam went smoothly because my brain knew I could handle it.

On my way back home, I realised something important. The examination hall wasn’t as scary as I had imagined. Previously, I had been apprehensive about how I would fare in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. However, contrary to my previous beliefs, I actually liked the place, and it was even comfortable. My teachers had always stressed the importance of managing time, staying stress-free and doing our best. But I realised that, in the end, all exams were just exams. The only significant difference was the location where we took them.

I learned a lot during this exam season, and hopefully, these lessons will make my second round of CAIE papers next year less stressful. The best approach is to start revising early, so you won’t worry about how much syllabus is left uncovered, and you might avoid falling into the unproductive trap of cramming.

Secondly, stop fretting about exams — they’re essentially like the ones you sit for in your school. And if the thought of unexpected questions bothers you, remind yourself that the examiners know you’re a 10th grader; they understand your age, capabilities and abilities, so they don’t expect you to perform extraordinary. I also want to emphasise the importance of enjoying and learning from exams, because they teach us a lot.

It’s just that the whole exam season is so tiring that we fail to appreciate their value. No matter how absurd I might sound, now that I’m done with my exams, I swear I miss those exam days because I know they won’t come back again.

In the end, I want to say that, yes, during exam time, hearing “This too shall pass,” seems awful. But my dear readers, the truth is, it does pass and you are only left with memories of it.

So, if you’re someone who will be in my shoes in the upcoming years, do not repeat the same mistakes I did by worrying too much. Wishing you all the best of luck!

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 3rd, 2024