The Written Podcast: Tests

Tests are everywhere. You cannot escape them. Every day, you are tested by something, whether it be with a problem at work, at home, with your patience with something or someone difficult, the list simply doesn’t stop. The tests we are most fret about though, is the ones we need to pass in order to make any amount of progression in life, either in school or at work. At school you are required to partake in either an oral test or a written test, in order to prove you have adequate knowledge about a certain subject, and the grades you receive as the result of your being tested decides how well you’ll do in life after school. And if you don’t pass a test or get a decent enough grade, they’ll be great difficulties afoot for you.

I wish not to scare people who are about to take a test. You’re probably incredibly nervous about the test, and don’t need anyone else to describe how a test can make or break your entire career. We’ve all been through some important tests before, subsequently, we’ve all been through the woes beforehand. The nerves, the worries, the stresses; they each affect us differently.

GCSEs at high school are the deciding factor as to whether you can get the job you so want to make a career out of. Getting a good grade in your chosen subject is all that’s needed. Who knew a single letter could represent someone’s instant judgement over how much knowledge you have of a subject you are passionate about. Maths and English are the two most important grades out of all GCSEs as everyone immediately assumes you’re not good at either of them if you were to get a low grade, yet contradictory to that grade, you’re actually quite good at both maths and English, just not in a test environment. If you were to have a casual conversation about either of them, you’ll recall perfect knowledge, enough to pass any written or oral test.

When it comes to tests, there are four types of people – those who study relentlessly (and pass), those who don’t study at all (and pass), those who don’t study at all (and fail), and those who study relentlessly (and fail). The one question we always have on our minds when we discover which category your classmates fit into is, how? How can you not study at all and somehow pass? How can you study hours every night and fail? Because there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. If you’re extremely passionate about a certain subject, you don’t need to study, just take part in learning more about your chosen subject and retain the information – it has been documented that the more enthusiastic you are over the subject, the better you’ll retain the information learnt compared to that if you’re stressed and have no choice but to study because you have zero interest in the subject matter but have to take the test as it’s part of the fixed curriculum.

Don’t get me wrong, studying does absolutely help with every single test out there. Learning as much as you can about anything helps you in the future. With an amount of information inside your head, you can use that power to answer the questions and fly through the test as if it was a piece of cake. Knowledge is power when it comes to test. The more you have, the better.

There are so many different kind of tests. I’ve taken many different ones over the years, many were during school and college, but the biggest one outside of college was my driving test. That was a big moment when I was told I had passed, as it was my second attempt. Having passed the test, I was able to drive anywhere, and after 7 years driving, I do. I wouldn’t be working where I am now if it weren’t for my driving. I wouldn’t be doing half the things I do if it weren’t for driving.

In fact, there are so many different forms of tests, to list them all and describe them all would make this article too long, and I wouldn’t even be able to list them all anyway, as I know I haven’t heard of many tests as I simply have not gone through them, and may never will. But I certainly have experienced a fair amount of tests, that’s for sure, with various levels of difficulties, ranging from the external and the internal. Tests are what shape us as human beings, for without them, we won’t be the people we are today. Tests drive us forward, motivate us into learning more about how the world around us works, and how best to adapt to certain situations whenever necessary.

To anyone who is nervously, eagerly, waiting for their results for any test they’ve just taken, I wish the very best of luck for you.