Testing times

Exam time in the institute. Had invigilation duty this morning, and therefore my share of viewing typical exam behaviour. As you enter the darkish classroom with your load of exam papers and answer books, invariably there are already a few early birds who have come for their worm even if the worm is distributed only half an hour later. Occupying the best seats right below the fans, armed with sharpened pencils, spotless erasers, pens of three colours and a straight edge they are ready to take on the exam and don't seem to get what this delay all about. Next comes most of the junta and as they settle into their seats it is about time to start distribution of answer books. Before you are done distributing, you can count up on that bunch of people who whizz in rather importantly and want to get their answer book immediately on arrival, even before the last person who has been sitting in the class much before they arrived. Silence prevails, some stare at the question paper, some dive in straight into writing without bothering to read, some can think only when one of the hands is busy rotating the pencil between the fingers, some are too curious about neighbours and some of course need to pick their nose to kick start their brain. Ten minutes into the exam, it is time for at least one headless chicken to make an appearance and ask if we knew where the exam for his/her course is being held and without waiting for an answer disappear somewhere.

And finally there are those people who have been given their answer books and the question paper at the right time at the start of the exam, but don't reciprocate by returning the answer books back at the right time after the end of the exam. I am usually quite polite, calm and yet firm, but in today's invigilation duty I finally had to snatch the answer sheet out of the last student. Grrr….