Artcileexam

I tapped my finger on the desk. Once, and again, and again. I glanced at the clock, so slightly unalligned it ticked me off. The second hand took slow, cautious steps; it was chasing me, but the chase was so painfully relaxed. What more was there to wait for? My name was on the paper, everyone was staring so soulessly at whatever it is they thought they were staring at, but the exam just didn't want to begin. Amidst the heat of this godforsaken moment, I noticed a pattern; with each passing second, my heart would beat twice. I tapped my finger on the desk. Once, and again, and again. Finally, time to start.

It was just an exam - I'd been in dozens before, and even more probably await me, so why is it that my heart was still beating faster than it would if I were being chased by a rabid dog? Not only faster, but stronger too - I could feel the blood coursing through my entire body, building up pressure with each beat, doubling each second. Call it fear, panic, stress, or whatever you want to; it doesn't matter. What does matter is that we've all experienced exam anxiety in one form or another before. Why is it such a big deal, and how can we make the most of a seemingly terrible feeling?

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The butterflies in my stomach seemed to flutter up to my throat, irking out a gag reflex whenever I considered them too much. Inspite of my slight gastro-intestinal agitiation, I managed to maintain my resolve: I held my head high, pushed my shoulders back and walked steadily with all the confidence in the world. That all helped ease me subconsious into the unknown potential disaster - potential relief that was about to occur.
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--There's no point in revising the entire exam with that one friend you know never makes any mistakes, because you'll probably disagree on some answers and we all know who isn't right. And if you *are* that friend, stop making people feel bad about their answers, you psycopath. "But, Ali .. they're the ones that ask in the first place" *cue exaggerated sad face*. A simple "I don't remember" isn't hurting anyone; the best thing to do right after an exam is to stop thinking about it.