There aren't many exams as a doctoral student. There is one really big exam at the end of my second year, called comprehensive exams (or comps), and there is the grilling I will get when I present and defend my dissertation. Today, however, I took a mid-term exam in my quantitative methods class. I spent all day on Sunday creating what I am calling my stat-scrapbook. It's a notepad with cut-outs and equations, and colors to help me remember things. I actually enjoyed making it, and not just because I got out the magic markers. Unfortunately, I have a terrible characteristic, which I call "Cindy Syndrome". If you've ever seen the episode of the Brady Bunch when Cindy goes on the TV quiz show (that would be Season 4, Episode 22, "You Can't Win 'Em All), then you'll know what I'm talking about. That's right, I, like Cindy, was very prepared for this exam. At least I felt I was. I knew most of the material, and was confident in my computation ability. The exam was even open note, so I had the comfort of my stat-scrapbook next to me on my desk. But right when my professor said, "Flip over the exam and start. You've got two hours to complete it." I froze. My forehead starting sweating, my heart beat faster, and my hands were shaking. I'm not exaggerating.Fortunately, I get to do this again at the end of the semester.
Ditto!
ReplyDelete