Test (試験)

When I was in high school and college, it seemed my life was full of tests. Subject tests, AP tests, college placement tests (ACT and SAT), Illinois standardized tests, there always seemed to be some test to study for every night, and sometimes on Fridays, multiple tests. Now that I'm in the working world, though, tests don't come that often, or come in the form of other experiences: job interviews, performance reviews, client presentations, business lunches, etc., but not in the "sit down and you have 3 hours to do this" kind of format. The closest thing that comes to a big test I've done recently is the California bar exam (more than 5 years ago!) and the Japanese/ Chinese foreign language proficiency exam I take for certain jobs to show that I am qualified to do work in a foreign language. Other than that, though, not much to study for! As a result, I sort of........miss tests. 

Tests is one of the few things left in this world nowadays that people do without the use of their cell phones......I guess sleeping, athletic events (even running though, allows people access to their phones), live conversation, and such are others, although they don't exactly simulate the environment of a test, where one is completely honed into the subject matter, no distractions like checking one's phone and refreshing one's email every few minutes. A test is a sort of a conversation between one and the testtaker, at the end of which hopefully the testee (me) demonstrates to the testor (whoever wants to assess my abilities) that I've fully understood the materials. I never liked essays or papers for this reason... papers are subjective, no certain things that the reader is looking other than their own interpretation of what the writing is or how it meshes with their own experiences. A test is set up like a road, where certain obstacles appear on that road and is up to the test-taker to pick up on it or not, there are certain things the administrator is looking for, almost an inside joke between the 2 people in the conversation to see if you "get it" or not. Plenty of times during a test I have a "oh I see what they're doing there" reaction to the test. It challenges the mind and sort of justifies to the test-taker all the time put into to studying for the test, of cramming all that knowledge into one's head......finally allowing for one to spill forth all that knowledge and apply it. I've always said that actually taking a test (unless it's a law school exam, in which I sucked at spotting all the issues) is not that bad of an experience, it's actually a liberating experience, like a detective trying to solve the mystery, while packed with tons of tools and information from having accumulated during those tough, grueling study hours that are actually what makes tests so formidable. The actual test? kind of intellectually challenging and I sort of like it in a perverse way. And the best part is, after the test, letting loose and doing something to reward yourself until the next test. Who knows when that will be for me. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan