One down...one to go!

Don't know if you folks have seen it, but I love watching this really cool program on TV, The Human Body on the Discovery Channel.

In one segment, the featured topic was the fascinating stuff that goes on when our subconscious wakes up as our conscious mind goes to sleep. The part that I recalled the other day is that when you learn something, and then sleep, the subconscious mind, helps you store the data and make sense of it, so that when you wake up you are now equipped with info that you are not even aware you have stored in your memory. Since my memory really sucks, and because of my bad back and all I have not had a full night of sleep since 16 years of age…I figured I am screwed with the test today. This, especially after I took some “sample tests” online and got scores of 2 right out of 10 and 30 out of 100 on another test…suffice it to say I needed to do something and fast!

There are a few of them online…DON’T pay for it…it’s not necessary…you can just do the FREE TRIAL versions they offer and it’s enough believe me! This first one is the best because it has 100 questions for the free trial but the second one is nice too…

EXAM PREP CENTRAL

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Then I got the idea…I slept my usual 4 to 6 hours last night, and finally got out of bed at 7a this morning and took those tests again…looking at the sections that I had gotten wrong and checking out the explanations and I am not kidding you…the info already started to stick…so I did a few more “sample” exams, read up on what I got wrong again and headed off to bed again. This time I slept for 1 ½ hours…I woke up refreshed and got on the train and did some more of those practice tests from the textbook…

Got to school a little late but they let me take the test anyway. It is comprised of 75 questions and is timed at 1 ½ hours. Again, I kid you not, I KNOW some of those things I had not gone over and knew exactly which questions I’d get wrong (though as always I do get lucky and some I get right by the “law of fluke”). But I felt my brain work like a whirring computer…my eyes scanning the questions and my hand filling in the responses almost as if in a robotic, swift rhythm…and 20 minutes after I sat down, I got up and gave in my test. I passed with an 80%. I figured as much since I knew I was lacking some of the info for the other questions…but really folks…this sleep thing…it’s TRUE!

I don’t know how but I promised myself I’d make it a point to start and get my sleep from now on…even if I have to do it bursts!

Now, here’s the kicker, I am NOT sleepy and my little one is home from school tomorrow…so I don’t know if I am going to have time to go over anymore stuff…and I am not comfortable with the fact that I got an 80% on today’s school test (passing grade is 65% for the school) and the passing grade is a 70% on the State test! That percentage does not leave me much room for error.

Yes, tomorrow the world holds their breath as American citizens mill in and out of voting booths to choose our next puppet in office, but for me…tomorrow is my chance at a new beginning, a new career…while the new president may or may not screw us in the coming years…let’s be optimistic and hope for the best!