And the period that I hate most has finally arrived...

-
Hate exams of this kind that students normally have to undergo throughout their academic career.

Those three hours are not a reflection of my intelligence or understanding of the subject. It just shows how well I have put in that answer sheet what the examiner wants as answers to those questions in the limited time.

Have written many exams...done well in many...not done well in some...yet I think my aversion to exams is something which will stay all my life.

The exam system was created to measure abilities and understanding of the subject, now it just the other way round, understanding and ability of the subject is modified to maximise performance in exams. In this rat race for grades and CGs, we have forgotten that exams are an approximate, probably incorrect measure.

And that's fine since all around too people have forgotten the true purpose, either deliberately or inadvertantly. We celebrate those CGs, companies adore those CGs, peers hold those CGs in awe, professors give you tips to maximise those CGs...in fact for the last week, after that QAM thing happened, all that I've been trying to do is understand what the Prof. wants, otherwise however elegant your solution is, it's worth a big zero...and I can't help pity myself for what I've been doing.

Sometimes, I have considered giving up this system of education altogether, it is not worth the two decades of my effort. But now into my post-graduation degree, I have already adhered - albeit with a lot of loathing - to it for long enough.

Yet in my own way, wherever possible I've tried to reform this mess and that is what the aim will be throughout.

Whenever an interviewer starts with "Oh you must be highly intelligent, you've topped ICSE in 10th, 12th, topped College, won this scholarship, that fellowship etc. etc.",
my answer is the same:
"They are not be a reflection of my abilities, they just show that in that limited time, under those given conditions I was able to produce what the examiner wanted...that's all."
and the reason is the same for those so-called failures in certain exams.
...yet I cannot deny that sometimes I too get carried away.

Every system gets what it deserves; better or worse, the system will reject it, no matter how charismatic the way in which it is imposed.

We have embraced this exam system, we have no right to blame its products...