Saturday, December 10, 2011

The wonderful ACT

I pull up to the Rockford High school, I've got my comfy clothes on (sweats, uggs, sweatshirt) and my string backpack with my calculator, id, pb and j, confirmation sheet, and 4 pencils, perfectly sharpened.
I walk into the testing room, there are two other Wayzata people oh good, I'm not alone.
"You are now beginning the ACT..." says the proctor, a spanish teacher who can barely pronounce the instructions
The dreaded reading of the already-known instructions starts...
"don't cheat, don't bring alcohol, don't use a pen" seriously? who would be dumb enough to use a pen on a scantron?
"fill out your name in the box provided, fill in the confirmation code. if you don't fill it out correctly you may not get your score back for up to 8 weeks..."
8 weeks?! I can barely wait the typical 3 to see what I get.
"I am now passing out the test booklets. wait while I pass out the test booklets. The test booklets are being passed out now."
Uh oh, I have to go to the bathroom. Maybe I can hold it until the brake...
Nope can't wait that long.
I ask the proctor if I can go to the bathroom before the test starts. Last time I made the mistake of trying to hold it and had to take part of my precious ACT testing time to go relieve myself...TWICE.
I race out and bold down the hallway
I race back to the classroom.
oh good I'm just in time
"You have 1 hour for the english portion..."
One hour?! there are 75 questions! 
It was really the science portion that I was worried about. The last time I took it I got so bored by the end and didn't understand any of it that I just filled in c and put my head down for the last 10 minutes. They should really make the science portion first, considering that by the time you get to the last portion of the test you have no desire to test take any longer and science just happens to be the one that you have to use logical reasoning for, which was totally drained after the first 15 minutes of the test.

english portion with such ferociousness
wow, I'm doing really well, I know like all the answers...what if I get a 36 on this portion? How cool would that be! wait, I should be thinking about the test, I'm only on question 5. But WHAT IF I get a 36!!!! Hey, is this reading a Narrative or a Description mode? wait I probably shouldn't be thinking about modes of writing and analysis. AP comp has gotten the best of my mind...is that a logical fallacy?
Unfortunately that way of thinking did not drift with me as I endured the math, reading and science portions of the test. I ended up accidentally spending about 50 times longer than needed on one simple math problem because I was to lazy to write it out and thought my brain had the capacity to solve it and organize the answer. Needless to say I had to fill in C's in the last portions of the final 3 sections because I ran out of time. Oh well...there's always next time.

I can't wait (insert really sarcastic voice)

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