Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Epic Fail

I think I set a world record. I got a grade so low on my psychology test, that my professor called it “statistically impossible.” Imagine getting back the test that you spent hours studying for, hoping to see an impressive grade, only to find a 13% scribbled in red ink. How would you feel? Angry? Depressed? Disgusted? Shameful? I’m actually really interested to know how anyone else would have reacted because frankly, I found it a bit humorous. Instead of shamefully sliding the graded test into the innermost region of my bag or angrily tossing it into a trash can, I showed it to the guy standing in front of me. When he saw it, he thought it was a joke, but upon examining the paper carefully, his disbelief turned into pity. The look of sympathy on his face was so sincere that I found I could hold back the truth no longer. I told him why I had failed.

I didn’t have a pencil. It’s that simple really. The absence of a yellow painted, number “2” bearing piece of wood with lead running through it wreaked havoc on my test score. The test was graded by a Scantron – which only read the writing of number 2 pencils – and I had completed it in pen. Up until I walked into the classroom on the day of the test, I had forgotten that a pencil was needed for this particular exam. Normally, the professor had a tray of extra pencils for those of us who forgot, but she was absent that day. I would have asked someone for a pencil, but I really didn’t want to bother anyone. Instead, I did the test in pen to the best of my ability, and handed it to the reader with a sad smile. I was expecting a zero on the test, but the Scantron decided that six of my answers looked enough like pencil lead to be marked correct.

 

During the class, the professor announced that she was going to drop our lowest test grades, which brought sighs of relief from all four corners of the classroom, but I couldn’t accept that. When class ended, I marched (walked) over to her desk boldly (timidly), slammed my fist down (waved politely), and demanded (asked) her to take a look at my paper. When I pointed out that the test had been done in pen, I think a look of relief crossed over her face. Apparently, my grade really was statistically impossible. So the story has a happy ending. Once it was rechecked, I found that I had actually done pretty well on the test, sliding my psychology grade that much closer to the desired A. I have another test this coming Monday that I intend to be ready for. I have the PowerPoint set up, I have scheduled extensive periods of time in which to study, and I’ve had a box of pencils sitting in my bag since the last test. This time, I will be totally prepared.