Go and Study. It's your BOARD!!!

I almost wrote 1/4th of the blog post which I actually intended to publish this time. But I got too excited after reading some article in a newspaper. (Intimate me, if you want to read that article, if only my scrap box allowed me to let my hands over it by the time you ask me to read it.)

So what was the topic that I created so much hype about? It was about the ongoing board exams. The writer had written about the unnecessary fuss created around such exams. I remember when I used to be a kid and my sibling got promoted into the board classes, the dialogue which would echo in our home was let her study it’s her board exams. I used to think what it is so different to be in a board class appearing for board exams.

I appeared for board exams in 8th class for the first time and luckily y centre for giving exams was the school in which I studied just the last year. (I had migrated my school in 8th class only and my centre was my ex-school.) So I felt like being at home not feeling the need to get accustomed to the school premises.

By the time, I was in 10th the decision came from upper authorities to eliminate the boards from secondary examinations. We were the first batch to not to go through the rigorous boards. So I never got that tense feeling that THESE ARE MY BOARD EXAMS.

Two years later were my 12th boards and I was hoping for one or the other twist in the tale but there wasn’t any. Just after the December exams, if any of the students went to attend the school, as is expected from students, the teachers would themselves ask the students to not to come to school. Instead, would ask us to start preparing for the board exams by being at home and completely devoting ourselves to studies. They didn’t even take our pre-boards so as to not disrupt our preparatory period.

I was so confused that what I should be studying, in the given 3 months when the holidays are already allotted in between the exams. You know, you can’t even relax and relish the fact that you don’t have any school to go, there is constant pressure enforced upon you by the people around.

 After a few weeks or so, we got our roll numbers and out of boredom, I started reading the instructions given on the flip side of that roll number sheet. They were arranged in such a way that even the innocent student will get afraid. Something like this: “If found guilty of misconduct, the candidate will stand ineligible for appearing for these exams for the next five years.” (Misconduct - such a vague term, it can be anything.) So they managed to instill a fear in my heart.

When it was my first (board) exam, some unsaid anxiety prevailed over me. But after a while, I realised that it was no different from the regular tests, apart from that OMR sheet. OMR sheets are another example of the hyped things. I remember many of my fellows making mistakes while filling them (MIGHT BE because of the fact that when you are filling them the teacher constantly keeps asking you to fill it ‘carefully’ that you tend to forget the care part).

Once you cross the landmark 12th boards, you don't have any more board exams to appear for, there is no exaggeration. Perhaps because after it, each year is a Board Class. You've to go in for university examinations in each year.

P.S. Interestingly, a few days back when I was outdoors, people asked me the way to XYZ Schools twice. I wondered what is it today that people are asking me the way to certain schools where have been they going all the year, then I got to know that it’s the beginning of board exams and they are asking for their examination centers. So you can’t take away the credit from me of copying someone else’s topic for writing a blog post.