Photoblog

Today, I took the exams.

It started with a 4 A.M. wake up call that led to an early arrival at the venue around 5:30 AM. I met with a friend and we idly talked about how unprepared we were to take the exams. As soon as the lines formed and everyone started going inside the venue, we parted ways and went to our assigned testing venues.

Sunrise.

I didn’t really bother reviewing anymore because I somehow wanted to trust my intuition this time around. No one can really prepare for a test. At a certain point we just need to accept that what we have prepared is enough and that everything else will simply fall into place.

The Classroom

It was just so apparent that the school we were holding the exams in took out their ceiling fans because of an alleged fire that broke out in one of the classrooms. Good thing I was born in Cebu where it’s summer all-year round. The heat wasn’t that much of problem. But what concerned me was that the rooms in this school were smaller than the ones I teach in and this room has more chairs than the ones I teach in my school. It makes me respect the teachers of these schools all the way. With such limited and constricting conditions, they manage to stay and really implement quality teaching.

Required Documents and Materials

The examination itself was different from what I expected. There were a couple of problematic items where I spent a lot of time interpreting what the questions were. Admittedly, I felt that the level of knowledge being assessed in most items was trivial. This makes me wonder how can we improve the test construction because, as a whole, I’m not sure if it is valid or reliable. I wonder if this test really is measuring what it claims to measure.

The Surrounding Area

There were many confounding variables during test administration. Because were were right next to a community, someone had the bright idea of playing his tunes in full volume for everyone to hear (including the test-takers). Also, it didn’t help that the proctors often made small talks inside the testing venue. I guess this shows that there is a need for more training and orientation.

It wouldn’t take long for me and a colleague to conclude that the test could have been designed better but that made us wonder as well how it was possible for people to have to repeat the test. I guess this ease of answering and noticing flaws is a result of the education we received. Maybe what is “normal” quality of work for us is actually “good” quality already in other people. I just hope that we don’t jinx this.

Day Outlook: Full

Well, regardless of what happened, I’m just glad that it’s over. Now I can focus on more important things like family and loved ones. This is an experience I’d rather not repeat.

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