Exam fever

If there is one thing I dont really like about the education system in India, it is the fact that we are consistently fed with the idea that the next exam we write is going to be the biggest one of all time. You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time .... What is it with exams anyway ? After you start working you realise that all those exams written way back when were an excercise in futility.

First it is the 10th standard exam which gets touted as the biggest and baddest exam. After you pass it you realise that it was just to get into a good institute to do your last 2 years of schooling. By which time your attention is forced onto the twin evils of your 12th standard boards (what would the world think if you got anything less than 85% ?!) and your entrance exams (to get into a good college). Which means daily coaching classes, numerous tests and mock exams and what not. Oh dont forget to add managing a teenage life. No wonder Indians turn out to be good multitaskers. Balancing puppy love and complex organic chemistry - piece of cake for us Indians. But it doesnt end there.

You start working for a couple of years and the inevitable starts to happen. Talk of the dreaded W word. And whoever said parents dont know how to manage our generation? In all innocence they will start mentioning to you how all your uncles and aunts are starting to suggest that it is time to search for a good match for you (cue horrified look on your face & indignant protests). To add more masala (not that you would know it at that time) they will mention how this aunty (Ive noticed its always the aunty's who want to make sure beta is settled asap. Why is this ????) was saying that her neighbour's daughter is well educated and beautiful and we should think of making a proposal as her family is very good and she is such an angel. Cue double gulp. Perfect time for them to slip in the "....or you could always do your MBA and buy yourself 2 years, after which you will need time to settle down, right?... " And before you know it your very own parents have conned you into signing up for CAT coaching classes and youve bought a dozen application forms to India's finest B-schools. Suddenly its time to dust the dust off your old books and start studying for your 'new' most important exam in the world.

And it would be fine if life's never ending cycle of exams ended there. What else could be there, right? You do your MBA, get a good job and then start working before your aunties start helpfully suggesting how their neighbour's daughter .......

I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of all those greedy Wall Street morons (the majority of who are incidentally MBA's like you) who set the avalanche rolling. Now that they have done their damage, companies across the world are resorting to massive cost cutting including the easiest of all - firing employees. The merciful ones are conducting exams for which you have a fixed number of attempts. Failing which its tata-bye-bye time. Which reminds me my retest is in a few days time (notice the re in retest) . When will this ever end????