First Board Exam

"Did you solve the example 14 on page no.256?"

"Yes, yes! I solved it a few days back"

I and my friend continued to have such conversations while we stood in front of the closed gate of our examination centre. It was our first board exam. The cherry on the top is that it was the terrifying and petrifying Maths exam. Chills were running down our spines as we looked towards other students with their faces buried in their books.

The gate was finally opened, my parents wished me good luck as I stepped in the exam centre. I had my admit card attached to my writing pad and I had my pouch in my hand as I walked towards the security check. We all were checked from head to toe. Then we all finally proceeded towards the elevator and started hunting for our room numbers according to our roll numbers on the list posted next to the elevator.

My exam hall was on the 6th floor. Some of my friends were in my hall and some were in other halls. As soon as I walked into the class I distanced myself from everybody and sat on my seat chanting verses, remembering God and hoping for the best. I did not communicate with anybody because I didn't want to lose confidence or distract my mind. I sat calmly while some people panicked and some giggled.

The two invigilators finally entered the hall just like some South Indian movie heroes. One held a basket in his hand. He kept that basket on the table. It had a sealed folder and a brand new cutter. He lifted both the things and showed them to us. It was time for the moment of truth. He unsealed the folder of question papers.

I was on the first bench, my heartbeat was increasing as he came nearer with the question paper. He laid the question paper on my table. I closed my eyes, chanted a verse and lifted the paper in my hands. I had already filled my details on that 32-page answer booklet.

Slowly slowly I was regaining my confidence as I flipped the pages. Questions appeared quite familiar and there was a smile on my face. The was silence all around but I started feeling comfortable as I started writing my paper. The invigilators were quite friendly, they behaved calmly and tried to boost our morale by saying some motivational quotes. I did not even lift my head and I kept writing. After two hours, I asked for an additional answer booklet. I managed to finish my paper in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Although I struggled with a trigonometry question for around 15 minutes still I was able to finish my paper in stipulated time. I also checked it thrice.

Finally, 3 hours passed by and the invigilators shouted: "PENS DOWN". My paper was collected and I took a deep breath. I did not communicate with anyone about the paper and ran down. I found my Algebra teacher standing at the gate, waiting for us. I ran towards her and hugged her. She had a broad smile on her face as she saw me like that for the first time after a maths exam.

My dad waited for me outside the gate and we headed back home. I received a warm welcome from my mom as if I had returned from a battle. Indeed, it didn't feel less than winning a battle. I changed my clothes and jumped straight into my bed with my phone and headphones plugged in. I had my favorite curry and rice as I listened to all of my favorite songs and then I took a generous nap which boosted my confidence to prepare more efficiently for the next exam.

In India, boards are described as a nerve-wracking experience on which the entire life depends. It's nothing like that. It's just that they're hyped up. Once you develop faith in yourself, nothing can stop you from achieving your goal. Boards obviously hold value but they aren't everything. Do your best and leave the rest because hard work pays off.

Don't lose hope, keep studying and believe in yourself. I felt like sharing my experience so that a lot of students can get their misconceptions about boards cleared and be stress-free!!