Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Basic Exam: Brain-Whoa

The Basic Exam, which covers physiology, pathology, and anatomy, is the first of two written exams given near the end of the IMI program. I took the Basic Exam on April 3. I got a B.

I studied hard. During the test, I kissed my A+ goodbye because I was making too many guesses. I was fine with that, no stress. But I didn't think I'd miss an A altogether; a B!

Wish I had a nickel for every time someone has said to me, "Nobody's going to look at your grades once you're in the working world." Yes, I know. And I don't care. It's not about that. I just plumb enjoy acing tests. Makes my brain say, "Wee!"

With so many folks both here in trade school and also at university repeating how unimportant your grade is in the "real world," I can't help but wonder if relatively few people have themselves experienced a brain-wee.

A brain-wee begins with intense study, crescendos during the test, hits a high plateau upon completion of the test (the waiting period during which you're pretty sure you aced it), and finally bursts into its glorious Wee! upon seeing the mark. The brain-wee is completely independent of others' responses to your mark.

When someone (like me) is accustomed to having a brain-wee after every test, and when they (like me) study very hard for a particular test and expect another A but see instead a B, their brain says, "Whoa!" This is known as a brain-whoa. A brain-whoa is not to be confused with a brain-woe, which is more Eeyore-like in nature. A brain-whoa is simply a surprise with a smidgen of bummer mixed in. Its effect is not long lasting.

;)

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