Pain Patient Partakes of PSATS

OK, so we all (freshmen and sophomores took the PSATs today. First, an anecdote that I just think is funny:

My number one rule for test taking is one pencil is never enough. It just isn't. Either it breaks, or you lose it, or it doesn't turn out to be a #2 pencil at all, even though it looks just like all the other pencils in your room, which are #2. So one pencil is never enough. Bring two.

My number two rule for test taking is two pencils are never enough. Guaranteed someone else in the room will be having major pencil issues. Either they forgot to bring pencils, or they only brought one which got lost or broken, or they forgot to sharpen their pencils, or their pencils aren't #2 either. Bring three pencils. Give them one of yours. (Rule number three pertains to batteries, and rule number four to food, but we won't get into that now.)

I left my room this morning in full compliance with rules one and two, carrying three #2 pencils and my calculator in a plastic bag. As I was leaving the dining hall, I noticed that my friend "Sasha" had forgotten to sharpen her pencils. In response, she begged for one of mine.

I was, of course, delighted to hand her one because it provided the perfect opportunity for me to lecture everyone on my Pencil Rules. "John" laughed, "Lucy" called me cute, and we all started over to take the test.

By the time we got to the test, there was a hole in the bottom of my bag and *I* now had pencil issues. It turned out OK; I got more from the proctors, but apparently the Pencil Gods don't like it when we rescue their victims.

Now, as implied in the title, here is how this test was unique for me with my challenges:

First and foremost, I really enjoyed the PSAT. I had an amazingly fun time. I love taking standardized test, and this one didn't even count for anything, since we can't qualify as National Merit Scholars until next year. so I genuinely had the most fun morning I've had in a long time.

That being said...

The major lesson I learned today was: Thou Shalt Not Standardize Test With Feet Dangling. I figured putting my feet up would be a huge inconvenience to everyone else, and I was determined to tough it out. I lasted exactly an hour from the time I sat down (about twenty minutes into the actual test) before I was in so much pain I wanted to cry. One of the proctors got me a chair to put my feet up, but by then I was in so much pain that it affected my thinking abilities on that section of the test (not unusual, by the way; until very recently most days were that bad or worse).

I finished with about three minutes to go, so I hypnotized myself to mute the pain before I went on to the next section. I've gotten proficient enough at self-hypnosis that I can relax, go down, "turn off" the pain and come back up, all in the space of about two minutes. It never helps very much, or for very long, but if I can relax enough to do it, it can make enough difference that I can focus sort of halfway off it. By the end of that section, I had to hypnotize myself again; that time, it made enough difference that I was able to finish the test without any "mind tricks". Still, lesson learned: do not try to do something I cannot normally do when it matters most. Or, more eloquently phrased: My contribution to survey results based on ethno-religious group or income level is screwed up if I test while in a lot of pain because I don't have proper accomodation.