Just like the others, this Nutrition course has a six-hundred page textbook, so far 60 pages of lectures and close to 500 discussion comments to read for the first two and a half weeks prior to the exam. Needless to say, I am terrified to take this exam.
It would seem that the open-book policy, fifty questions with a two-hour time limit, and the freedom to take it any time within a three-day period would be much easier than walking into a classroom knowing that a sheaf of unanswered question sheets will be handed out and must be dealt with immediately. For me, it is not.
My finger hovers over that "Begin Quiz" button, I stress out, and flee from the site. I read some more. I know I can’t possibly remember any of it. I’m confused by the RDA, BMR, USGDA, fats, carbs, proteins, etc., etc., etc. And, my prior experience with online tests that have been created mostly from the textbook companies has shown the propensity for tricky questions. I hate that. I hate multiple choice when two answers are real possibilities, even when looked up in the textbook, and the choice becomes a search for a clue of perhaps a misplaced word. I usually choose the right one, then go back and change it to the wrong one.
Nevertheless, I must get this first exam out of four out of the way as soon as possible. I tell myself that I don’t care, just pass the course. But that’s just not my way. My way is to study, worry, get near sick over it, and try my best anyway.
I must get through this. I must.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology