The Ultimate Exam Prep: Batteries and Pens, a Unique Strategy
In the world of high-stakes exams, students often go to great lengths to prepare. This story takes us inside the minds of three determined young men as they tackle the daunting English Extension 1 exam, a true test of endurance and skill.
Normanhurst Boys High School students Lam Doan, Ronny Jo, and Harry Shin were no strangers to exam pressure. With their final HSC exam looming, they knew they had to bring their A-game. Lam, in particular, felt the weight of the moment:
"All the other exams were behind me, and I knew I had to give this one my all. It was my last chance to boost my grades as high as possible."
English Extension 1 is no ordinary exam. With just two hours to craft two 25-mark essays, it's a sprint through a marathon course. And these students were ready to run.
But here's where it gets controversial... or at least, creative. To prepare for the physical demands of the exam, Lam, Ronny, and Harry employed an unusual tactic: they taped batteries to their pens to make them heavier during practice! They also squeezed putty to build hand strength, ensuring their writing instruments were ready for the task ahead.
And this is the part most people miss: the mental preparation. With at least five pens in hand (just in case!), they entered the exam room with a strategy. Ronny, having already "burnt through" three pens in previous exams, knew the importance of having backups.
However, when they opened the exam book, a moment of panic struck. One question asked for a discursive piece in response to an unseen text - a task they had not anticipated. But here's where their preparation paid off. Lam and Ronny realized the question aligned with their in-class focus on the reader-writer dynamic, calming their nerves.
For Harry, it was a dream come true. He felt under-prepared for a critical response but was relieved to see a discursive question. He had spent the year practicing and adapting his writing style, and his piece, a personal exploration of the ideation stage of writing using Seoul's Han River as a metaphor, was the result of a year's worth of preparation.
"There's a path I walk before I write. It runs beside the Han River... It's become a habit, almost ritual, though I pretend it's just for air. The Han isn't spectacular, not in the way people expect beauty to be. It is slow, slightly brown, it carries things we don't talk about."
So, what do you think? Is this an innovative exam strategy or a sign of an overly competitive education system? Should students be encouraged to think outside the box, or is this taking things too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
