LAE IS OVER.

Today, I took one of the most important exams I have taken and will ever take in my entire life.

It was quite easy. The questions during our review sessions were harder (except maybe for the abstract reasoning part--I got confused with the figures). Out of the six sets, I was only able to finish three (verbal reasoning, reading comprehension, and language proficiency). I didn't have enough time for abstract reasoning, critical thinking (logic), and quantitative reasoning (math). Nonetheless, given the 25% possibility of getting the correct answer per item, I just shaded the unanswered items randomly. I didn't have the opportunity to make educated guesses since, like I said, I didn't have time anymore. I actually shaded those oblongs after the reading comprehension part. I don't get it why they gave us 50 minutes to answer 40 items of reading comprehension when only the same time frame was given for 60 items of critical thinking (which, as the label implies, requires more prefrontal lobe activity than the reading comprehension set). It would have been better if the number of items in those two sections were interchanged.

The essay "question" stupefied me for a moment or two. "My Idea of Law." I researched on the hottest national issues for the essay part (such as the fertilizer fund scam, the reproductive health bill, and the charter change issue), expecting that we'd be asked to write about such. Well, at least that was what I expected because the essay questions in our pre- and post-review session mock exams were about the Moro separationist movement and the effect of the Obama presidency on the Philippines, respectively. Apparently, I should have prepared for "pageant-like" questions instead of researching. Haha! Anyway, the essay I wrote was short and concise. It's a good thing I took Philo of Law and Theories of Justice. I was able to use some of the things discussed in those classes for my essay. But still, I think my essay lacked substance. I could have discussed more. Hence, the fact that I have taken those two law-related subjects in the past (one taken three sems ago and the other taken only one sem ago, wherein I got the same grade of 1.25) makes me feel bad about the mediocre essay I think I have written. But hey, we were only given 30 minutes. And yeah, maybe it wasn't so bad.

But you know what surprised me (in a good way)? I was nervous to death before the exam, but apparently, for some reason unknown to me, I was calm the entire time. Although there were instances when I felt discomfiture: when I tried to "sneak" shading the oblongs during free time. Hahaha! Grabe yun. Actually, I knew I wasn't doing anything wrong since I didn't cheat by going back to the previous sections. But I wasn't entirely sure if shading (through guessing) of the previous sections was allowed or not. I was seated at the leftmost chair of the front row, and the proctor was just about two feet away from me. I was scared at the possibility that she'd reprimand me out loud for all the LAE takers to hear. Nonetheless, in general my head was light during the battery of tests. It was actually much unlike the two mock exams we had at Brains where my head really ached from answering. I was even quite surprised when I realized it was already only a few minutes before 12. FYI, I was inside the room by 7:30. Four and a half hours indeed flew by so swiftly. But yeah, I'm just thankful I wasn't as frazzled as I thought I'd be.

I waited for about 20 minutes for my parents to fetch me. By the way, thanks a lot to my good friend Carla Mae Badi who took the same test in the same room and waited with me until my parents were there. My parents remarked, "Mukhang papasa ka ah. Ang saya mo eh." Haha, I guess I was just relieved that I'm done with the LAE. I can't give them an answer when they asked me if I think I'd pass or not. Seriously, I really don't know. Even if I have a laude standing, for sure most of those who took the LAE have good academic records, too. Also, my comments on the exam were almost the same with the remarks I heard from the other LAE takers. There were even people I know who actually finished answering everything (unlike I who just used the "shotgun method" for the few items left in the 3 parts I didn't finish). And yes, the penultimate killer of all: only 5% of the LAE takers will be accepted.

What are the odds?

Truth be told, I am now preparing myself for the possibility that I won't get in. Unlike prior to taking the exam (when I felt my life depended on it), now I think (and every good psych major knows that self-evaluations are often inaccurate) I won't feel so bad come the time when the results will be posted (I heard they'll release the results by January).

LAE is over. Let the waiting begin. Not.

I [rhea]lized it would be such a big waste of time if I keep myself too preoccupied with the results during the waiting time. I realized that I should rather focus on the other aspects of my life. To give each day the attention it deserves and not to live too much for the "future" is what I should do.

LAE is over. If I don't get in, my life won't end there. I have various opportunities to grab :) My discipline geared me not for a one-sided track. At least I know I can still do a number of other great, exciting things given my degree in psychology :)

LAE is over; my life is not :)