The relief that follows.

Mini one is over. A friend made a very interesting comment today. He stated that he still does not understand why the school refers to the exams as Mini exams when they drain you inside out and cause you so much stress and exhaustion that Monster becomes your favourite beverage. The answer? No one knows. Perhaps these exams need another name.

To recap, last week I did go full speed studying for this Mini and it felt like I was studying for a final. Last night I went to bed at 10pm, making sure that I got enough sleep before walking into the exam hall. But before I closed my eyes I thought about how I still felt as if I didn't know a lot of material well enough. Wish there was more time... if only... if only. Oh well. My brain and my body were tired.

This morning I woke up at 0530am. Quickly reviewed some high yield points and ate breakfast. Making sure I stay calm and relaxed has always been my priority on the exam day, even the week before the exam. High anxiety level shuts down my system and I don't learn anything when that happens. This semester is a big challenge with the amount of information but if stress can be channeled elsewhere I think I should be alright.

The exam started at 0800am today. Quite early compared to last semester - always at 1300pm. Anyhow, the exam was mostly fair, but it was TRICKY. Oh my goodness was it ever! The basic concepts were taught to us but I was thrown off by the way many questions were stated, especially in Physiology and Neuroscience. Most of the questions required backward thinking - aka. diagnosing. And that is a completely new way of thinking for me in terms of academics. I have always been learning the forward way, which is how we were taught. Even the practice questions were not entirely 'backward'. I feel that this exam is a hit or miss. Gotta wait for the grades to come out now. In the mean time I am gonna catch up on some Anatomy that I did not get to really study for this mini - just to make sure I do really well on the practical exam in 2 weeks! No big breaks. Always moving forward :)

This week we'll learn about the GI system. Looking forward to it!!