The first exam I remember writing

was my Ist standard maths paper. I had hurried out of my exam room thinking that the one who finishes the paper first comes first and was forced back to my seat.

Then I remember my engineering exams which always seemed to happen when we still had loads of portion to cover. The tension during the exam season used to reach new heights with all weird rumours thrown around. Whenever I smell freshly photocopied papers (especially those cheap 25 ps/ a piece photocopies) I remember those exam days. Well, I dont know what I mean by that!
Because I used to be a bundle of nerves during exams and become extremely superstitious about every single thing. I used to wear the same pair of jeans for all the papers (if Mom allowed me to do that), never took books to read till the last minute and never discussed the paper after the exam.

Well, my MBA exams were a different matter all together. They used to happen so frequently and leave such a huge, irreversible impact that they never enjoyed that "revered" exam status. The exam just reduced to being some painful experience before we got to sleep a full night sleep.

After a gap of 3 years after my official last exam where I promised myself that I will never go thru this hell again I strangely started missing exams. I thought that I was missing the thrill of writing exams, the fun of studying, the strange feeling in the stomach you feel checking the calendar, etc, etc. I mean the whole exam-package. And so many people I knew were taking some certification or the other. So I did what I thought was the most reasonable thing to do. I registered myself to write an exam which tested my patience, my ability to sit and study and above all my determination to write the exam. There was quite an uncertainty about the exam taking place in India. So much so that for the first time in my life I prayed that let the exams happen instead of my usual prayers of let me pass please! The exam left me exhausted, drained out and poorer by an obscene amount. My neck, shoulder and right hand ached till they got numb. The opportunity cost has also been huge in terms of the shopping that was not done, the TV that was not watched, the gossiping with friends that didn’t happen and I go on like this forever.

But my friends! If there's one reason I would recommend you to go through the torture of writing an exam, then it is to experience the sheer relief at the end of it. The feeling is that of absolute bliss and light-headedness. Of course this lasts for a very short while before you start remembering the blunders you had committed on the paper. Ouch!

Please dont ask me which exam I wrote and when the results will be out. For obvious reasons of course! :)

Useless PS: I had written this post in June, just after I returned from the exams...but the superstitious that I am I decided I wont blog about the exam till the results were out. Yes!! I passed!!!