Tally

Chapter 5: Beginner's Trial

Ring Ring Ring

It was the start of break time, and the place felt the same as I expected it to be. You would regularly see people chatting, playing, and having fun. Like the court would be occupied by boys and girls playing their favorite sports, trying to one-up each other. Instead, it was an unoccupied wasteland that its people deserted. The reason is that people have more important things to prioritize.

Observing the area, I saw four different groups of people, with each having at least three to ten people in each one rambling and shouting at each other. Is it a fight? The answer is no. With the bizarre announcement Mr. Travis gave, it was more of a war that everyone was trying to survive.

While everyone was having a serious discussion, I was sitting at the end of the cafeteria with my box of apple slices and two pieces of paper that were my notes. Watching the catastrophe, I paid attention to the content I had written and the topics prioritized in the exam. Personally, studying in groups is somewhat of a nuisance as you would have people fight over each other on which materials are suitable and which would be focused heavily on. However, by studying individually, I can grasp the full content I have written and have fewer things to worry about. Yet, I felt somewhat envious that I wasn't in the discussion. So, as I finished my apple slices, I looked at the time and went into the dungeon.

Going through the hallway, though, I saw multiple people still exchanging notes with each other, and there were so many people doing it that the sound was very muffled. This lowered my confidence slowly as I started to think that I didn't prepare myself enough for this assessment. Regardless, I took a sharp turn and went into Mr. Travis' classroom door.

Opening the door, I could still see group studies happening in the classroom as I sat on my seat. Then, finally, I heard the bell ring one last time and a horde of students coming into the classroom, with Mr. Travis himself being the last one in.

"Alright, everyone, please be seated!" Mr. Travis says.

Emerged with the atmosphere, I could tell that everyone had the same feeling of panic and distress. While some listened to our teacher's statement, most of the students immediately went back to gathering around each other, sharing notes, predicting possible questions, trying to find a way to cheat their way out. To simply put it, the environment was chaotic.

"We will begin the test at 10:30, so you guys have a few minutes to go to the toilet and prepare your stationery," Mr. Tavis continues explaining the instructions. "Once you receive the paper, you may start immediately and stop writing once the time reaches 11:30. Additionally, no one is allowed to go to the toilet once the exam starts, as I have given you guys the time beforehand. So far, any questions?"

The class said nothing. Reading the mood, Mr. Travis understood the situation and quickly sat on his desk waiting for the time to reach 10:30. I began feeling the pressure. If the first day of school made me this anxious, then this one would be something straight out of a nightmare. Whenever I look at the clock, my notes back and forth seem to suggest that time is approaching faster. Footsteps can be heard from students who rushed back into the classroom after a quick toilet break.

It was now 10:30 and everyone was here seated. Mr. Travis walked around the class, giving the assessment sheet to each student. It was my turn to receive it, and I prepared my entire week just for this exact moment. Or so I thought.

In my mind, I was overcoming an apocalypse, a trial made by the Gods. It has only been a few days in school and what is lying down in front of me is my fate. Internally, I was screaming at the top of my lungs, and my heartbeat became more audible as time went on. Like in all honesty, what kind of school gives out a test in about a week. Looking back, I wish I was more focused in class as I thought this would be a piece of cake.

The questions were more difficult than I anticipated them to be. I knew the topic was about cartography, but I didn't expect heavy calculations to be in this exam. What's more, the materials that I studied for were barely in the exam. Sure there were questions about it, such as the types of maps used, but I only knew the fundamentals and not the specific ones.

"Calm down," I said internally. Looking around the test paper, I got some hints to some of the questions as their relationship was sticking out. "I could do this," I continued. Analyzing the exam, there are 25 questions, each giving a certain amount of score. For example, questions 1 to 20 are multiple-choice with three points each, questions 21 to 24 are worth five points, and the last question is an entire twenty points. Due to the middle school system being different from my primary school, getting at least 40 points would result in me getting a passing grade.

That was the goal I was trying to achieve. By scavenging around the paper, I found more clues that would help me answer the questions that I have minimal knowledge of. This was effective as it looked like I might survive this exam until I saw the last question.

Instantly my eyes were all around the classroom as I tried to find some hints and get my head in the game. Mr. Travis pulled no punches in making this last question. You would only know the types of cartography, a great understanding of each function's fundamentals, and lastly, the memory of the topic itself to answer it. I have always had an interest in humanities as it was one of the few subjects that contain multiple issues that have evolved throughout generations and have essential fundamentals. Still, this question just destroyed my hopes of reaching it.

The question was, "Explain the function of the GIS followed by the steps of creating one. Then, give an example of an existing GIS and justify it!" In that one moment, I was screwed.

As time goes by, I accept the reality that I might fail the test. Not only was I constantly lost in thought by the 'final boss,' but the stress I was feeling was downright nerve-wracking and made my mind extremely nauseating. So with 19 minutes left on the clock, I start gambling and hope for the best.

I know that GIS stands for geographic information system, so I wrote that down as my starting sentence. Next, explain the steps of creating it. Not knowing the proper answer, I simply wrote that the key was gathering small data of existing types of maps and mashing it all together. I looked back at the time and noticed I only had 4 minutes left. In a panic, I decided to use my neighborhood as an example of one and begged that what I wrote was enough to receive some kind of grade.

"Alright, time's up, boys and girls, put your hands in the air and stop writing," Mr. Travis says as the time hits strictly at 11:30.

Everyone was breathing heavily and were all miserable. I was too. I heavily underestimated the exam, and if I were to do this again, I probably would fail. As Mr. Travis collected my paper, I got up, exited the room, and headed to the toilet. I was washing my face trying to keep myself calm from the pressure. I could still hear my heartbeat beating at Mach speed. At least it was over. Hopefully, I managed to pass with forty points. I then paused. Something didn't feel right. I retraced my words, "I managed to pass with forty points." "What was so weird about that?" I thought, and then it hit me. I could barely survive the war but was I able to provide a great result to my supervisor?

"Oh no"