Expectation vs Reality: Board Exams

Board exams are a very big deal for almost every Bangla medium student. We grow up hearing that our JSC/SSC/HSC results will define our self-worth for the rest of our lives. We take year-long preparations in order to have a certain number stamped to our identity.

However, when the time for the board exams does come around, and eventually passes by, you're left with an odd feeling of the board exams not exactly being what they seemed. Here are some expectations vs. reality moments you'll likely face regarding this.

First of all, practicals. You underwent so much stress for two years just to keep your practicals updated. Spending hours and hours at the lab, staying up till 4 AM and feeding your entire squad shingara to help you complete them, just so you don't miss the deadline. And because you're such a great procrastinator, you still had to go on a manhunt for someone to give your bundle of papers an autograph the day before your test exams. After going through this for your pre-test and test, you decide to finally cave in and take a trip to Nilkhet with your hard earned savings in your pocket.  

With all that effort, you expect your precious practical copy to be treated with utmost importance, right? WRONG.

They'll take it, give it a quick slash with a red pen, rip it down the middle and toss it out. Ouch.

Next, the hype. The whole year leading up to your respective board exams will be all about the hype. Just like how the media hypes everyone up before an international sports event, your surroundings will be doing the same for your upcoming exam. Parents, teachers, seniors, friends and some certain dishonest people with connections will have you convinced that it will be the make-it-or-break-it moment of your life.

So after all that hard work and finally securing a "5", you realise you're not actually that special. Moreover, the high of getting a 5 is quickly drowned out after a couple of months, when the next set of academic challenges kick in. When I got a 5 on SSC, I was on top of the world for a few days. Two and half months later, college quizzes had me in complete despair.

Last but not the least, you realise board exams aren't such an intense ordeal as you thought. Even if you don't get your desired result, for every next-door auntie making you feel bad, there will be 10 friends or seniors comforting you and giving you emotional support. You end up with some fond memories of being with your school or college buddies one last time with the uniform on.

All of this is easy to say when you're done with the exams and they are a thing of the past. But for a candidate, board exams can seem like a harrowing experience. Eventually, once you're done with them, you will realise just how much they are not what they seem.