Passing the Test of Life

It is perhaps only the very few, specially blessed ones among us that do not know the terror in taking tests. The majority of us average human beings have, at one time or another, borne the pallor of midnight cramming and struggled through the tormenting anxiety before a test, especially a major one. While the gravity of the preceding torment is often equally rewarded with a feeling of relief afterwards – or an extra bonus of high scores, for the lucky ones – we would all agree that the stressful experience of taking a test is better not there.

But the truth is: there is no need for the pressure at all. Pre-test anxiety has been proven to hamper performance and, therefore, undermine the outcome.

Passing exams is invariably the number one worry of students. It accounts for most of the agony on campus than any other single cause. In fact, most students want to finish school quickly to be able to free themselves of the recurring stressful episodes. Alas, exams are never over after graduation – they continue as a way of life wherever we go.

As soon as we get our school diplomas, career licenses as well as jobs in government and private companies require passing of some tests. Many job promotions are determined by an employee’s score in a test, to complement his actual job performance evaluation. On the more basic level, one’s job is a test that he must pass consistently in order to remain on employment.

The feeling of discomfort that comes with an approaching test can be avoided and the fear of exams itself overcome. Exams are not designed to be torture events. There are ways to boost test scores.

Tests are intended to measure the degree of one’s mastery of a given subject matter or one’s competence in a given field. There’s no secret formula for passing tests. And the best antidote to examination phobia is an ever open knowledge – conscientious study.

A student should regard his studies seriously; regard his schoolwork as a highly paid employee would regard his job. An employee devotes a certain number of hours on his job everyday. A student must do just the same – devote time for school, time focused on study.

It will help to imagine how much the college professors would be capable of teaching if they were to assume the lax habits of many students. Or, better yet, to imagine how one’s own parents would have been able to send him to school, if they never spent dedicated hours at whatever economic endeavours they’re in.

It is said that success is simply “opportunity met with preparation.” And what is school but a preparation for a line of profession. So, a student should make the most of his time at school. It doesn’t mean that he’ll have to remove all fun from his young life altogether. A little self-discipline is all that’s needed.

Again, it helps to imagine that schooling is a very serious and important job. (And it really is!) You wouldn’t just abandon your job to heed a friend’s invitation for a time out. Instead, you would be very careful not to unduly tire yourself on extraneous activities, in order to preserve your energy for work.

True, students are at such a time in their life where they are bursting with curiosity over many things. Their thirst for thrill and excitement is at its greatest. Yet, containing their wild impulses is one of those important tests that they’ll have to pass in life.

Young people have the choice whether to indulge in temporary pleasures now and face possible long-term failure later. Or they can choose to work hard – while their energies are high and their bodies still strong – in order to make better possibilities for themselves in the future.

Mr. John Gokongwei, undisputably one of the country’s wealthiest men today, revealed the secret of his success. “I have no secret,” he told the graduating class of a Manila university. “What I have is self-discipline.”

When Mr. Gokongwei was young, he crisscrossed between school and their family store, most of the time on foot. He had little time for indulging in pleasure; he got himself busy building a future. He prepared hard and took the test of life seriously.

His present standing is a testament to the value of John Gokongwei’s past efforts – and proof that he tackles the tests of his life really well.