Before I left this morning, Dave asked me whether I usually do better on real tests or practice tests. I wasn't sure, but I think I usually do about the same. I don't generally get test anxiety and I'm the QUEEN of retaining facts in my short term memory (ie: waiting until the last minute to study and then cramming my butt off) and then promptly forgetting everything I studied within 48 hours.
But man. Apparently my RAM is low a few gigabytes these days because I actually FELT my brain getting slippery. Since I passed the same exam a decade ago, I figured it was just going to be a matter of pointing my brain in the right direction and clicking refresh a few times until I memorized everything again. But there was stuff I literally COULDN'T memorize. Especially facts that experience has taught me I'll never need or use, like whether a certain securities law passed in 1933 or 1934. Apparently my brain just decided there was no room for such useless (not to mention GOOGLEABLE) information.
Is this a sign of old age? Childbirth-induced brain atrophy? Too many cocktails?
I was doing decently well on my practice exams before I went into the test today - scoring in the 80th percentile consistently - but about half-way through the test, I realized that my study materials hadn't covered something like HALF the topics I was being asked about and I was sure I was going to fail from making too many 'educated' guesses. And I was already getting embarrassed about how I was going to explain my failure.
But I somehow managed to pass anyway.
Now I'm going to go fill my RAM up with a good book and some bad TV. Have a good 3-day weekend!
YAY! Congrats!!
Posted by: Sara | January 15, 2010 at 03:24 PM
Congrats Amanda! RE: those Series exams BLECH! So glad you are done with it. Great way to start wknd
Posted by: keszabo | January 15, 2010 at 03:27 PM
Hooray! Congratulations, and enjoy your weekend.
Posted by: Sheryl | January 15, 2010 at 03:27 PM
Congrats! Yay, you!
Posted by: Arina | January 15, 2010 at 03:28 PM
Awesome! Congratulations!
Posted by: Laura | January 15, 2010 at 03:32 PM
Hooray! Enjoy your unwinding time.
Posted by: Jennie | January 15, 2010 at 03:42 PM
Woohoo! You are awesome.
Posted by: carrisa | January 15, 2010 at 03:48 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Melissa | January 15, 2010 at 04:12 PM
Good job. There is nothing I hate more than that feeling of trying desperately to hold on to information before a test. Yuck.
Posted by: Janssen | January 15, 2010 at 05:41 PM
Congratulations!!
Posted by: Erin | January 15, 2010 at 05:50 PM
Congratulations Amanda - what a relief, eh?
Posted by: sue | January 15, 2010 at 06:54 PM
Hurray!
Posted by: Rhi | January 15, 2010 at 07:29 PM
woohoo!
Posted by: Jen | January 15, 2010 at 07:30 PM
Congrats! I'm sure it'll feel good to flush your brain out again.
Posted by: Sara | January 16, 2010 at 06:31 AM
Congrats! I'm an insurance agent and I know that if I had to take the licensing exam again I would struggle with it. Good job!
Posted by: Cheryl | January 16, 2010 at 08:15 AM
Congrats on passing. Have a great weekend!
Posted by: Patti | January 16, 2010 at 07:40 PM
Good work! I totally have bouts with Slippery Brain these days, too. MORE BOOKS. I need to read MORE BOOKS. And quite possibly, the dictionary.
Posted by: Kerri Anne | January 18, 2010 at 11:11 AM