Oh rats! on Cascade Hall

Headmistress Kijewski

February 23, 2012 7:53 PM

Ridiculously Anal Testing of Skills (RATS) by Headmistress Kijewski

Today was the first day of the Ridiculously Anal Testing of Skills exams. Also known as the R.A.T.S. examinations. Much like the C.A.T.S. examinations had fifth years on anxiety reducing potions, the R.A.T.S. examinations had many of the Seventh years wishing they could simply go to sleep and wake up four days from now with the R.A.T.S. exams long completed. These examinations determined if the last seven years of learning had been worth it. Passing as many exams as possible meant more opportunities with careers for the students ,whether that mean going off to University for further education or beginning an internship/apprenticeship in a specific field of expertise.

Like every year before, there were three examiners waiting impatiently for the students to be ready to begin the three days of exams. However, unlike last year, instead of Bernard Starsky, the oldest of the examiners, to be there waiting, it was Nanette Langdon. Bernard had needed a break from the examinations. His age was finally getting to him. Nanette had agreed to replace him. She had a fierce look to her caused by her straight back posture, so tight bun that her face was pulled back, and the pinched up look on her face as though she was constantly smelling something foul. Beyond that, she had such sharp hard features that only matched her hard cold eyes that anyone who was unlucky enough to have her as their examiner might feel as though she was going out of her way to fail them.

David Weatherby was another familiar face as he had been at the school the previous week to assist with the CATS examinations. He was the one examiner that everyone hoped to have. He was tough with his questions, but fair on the over all results of the answers. The third examiner was probably a new face for the students unless they happened to be paying attention to the guests last year. Aurora Septentrion was a fresh look next to Nanette Langdon. Her blonde hair let loose on her shoulders was a stark contrast to the tight dark bun that Nanette wore. Although Aurora did not smile, her blue eyes were friendly and open rather than cold and opposing. Of course, being petite and pretty should persuade students into thinking she was a push over. Aurora took her responsibilities seriously and could sometime be a bit ruthless if necessary.

The mornings where the theoretical examinations were to take place, students were asked to quickly take their seats while the anti-cheating quills were presented to each of them. Examination books and parchments were faced down on desks and only allowed to be flipped once the examinations have begun. Langdon addressed the students in her crisp voice, “We have cast spells to prevent any cheating. Those who are caught will immediately be failed and removed from the room. Anyone who completes the examination prior to the end of the alluded time will remain seated and quiet out of respect to their peers.” Nanette made sure her seriousness of the situation was made clear as she looked at each student before continuing. “You may begin.”

In the afternoons when the practical examinations happened, students would wait outside of the Cascade Hall until their names were called. Once called, they would enter the Hall and make their way over to where the Examiner was awaiting them. The examiner would ask them to perform certain spells or create a certain potion. Once the student had completed each task, they were free to leave.

OOC: Theoretical (written) exams are in the morning and practical exams are in the afternoons. Mandatory classes are covered the first couple of days while electives are handled on the final day. You are free to write for your examiner and choose the one you would like to work with. Have fun!

Subthreads:

Oh rats! by Jose Hernandez

End of the Line? by Andrew Duell

0 Headmistress Kijewski Ridiculously Anal Testing of Skills (RATS) 0 Headmistress Kijewski 1 5

Jose Hernandez

March 10, 2012 4:56 PM

Oh rats! by Jose Hernandez

Jose was reasonably studious for a Pecari. He remembered to do all his homework, he paid attention during class, he took his exams seriously, and he knew where most of the main subject areas were located in the library. He was by no means the top student in his year - he thought that was probably Edmond - but he usually averaged in the high E, low O range. He was comfortable there. It showed he was trying but didn't require him to go academically insane.

He was implementing the same philosophy toward his RATS exams. He studied, but not so much that it interfered with the normal functions of his life. He still slept the same number of hours every night that he always had. He still ate three meals a day and used that time to talk with people rather than cram Transfiguration theories. He still went outside during the times that used to be reserved for Quidditch practice for exercise and fresh air (often on the Pitch just out of habit and he encouraged the rest of the Pecari team to come with him, as sort of informal practice even though the season was over.)

But he had been spending more and more time in the hippogriff stable, going over his old notes. He supposed he could have found Tawny or Andrew or Marissa or someone to study with, but Henrietta the Hippogriff was more likely to be non-judgmental when Jose started practicing memorization rotes or coming up with bad rhymes to encapsulate the gist of the most difficult theories (Jose was sure his friends would try not to laugh at him, but he was absolutely certain that his poetic talents were not for public consumption). And while he normally enjoyed the cacophony of the Common Room or the Cascade Hall, it really wasn't conducive to the kind of focus he needed to plant information into his long-term memory. Henrietta was a very supportive study partner who never distracted him with interesting conversation or complained that he'd been repeating the same six sentences for forty-five minutes. She just required food and some light petting and she was perfectly happy to let him say whatever he liked as many times as he needed to say it before it snapped solidly into his brain.

He'd be a hundred and eighty years old and still remember every member of the lumos family of spells and what the purpose of each variety was. And he'd be able to recite them iambic pentameter.

As he sat through the seven days of written and practical examinations, though, Jose was grateful for his bad poetry. The rhymes saved him on more than one question, and he even performed one of the longer ones for David Weatherby who was kind enough to only give Jose a look of stunned incredulity as he went through what amounted to nearly an entire sonnet about one of the transfigurations theories that he could never understand well enough to discuss intelligently but which he could memorize in detail. The actual transfiguration spell, though, he pulled off with fair success. He was sure Andrew could do it better, and probably on the first try, but Jose achieved the desired result so that was good enough as far as he was concerned.

1 Jose Hernandez Oh rats! 149 Jose Hernandez 0 5

Andrew Duell

March 12, 2012 8:17 PM

End of the Line? by Andrew Duell

What was going on? Andrew found himself sitting in Cascade hall with an upside down packet of papers and an anti-cheating quill in front of him. He had been studying for RATS for the past... well, since he'd arrived at the beginning of the year. He still had a few days to go yet though. He was fairly certain that it wasn't time for the tests yet. There was still some time yet to go over some more of the potions recipes. Sadly, the physical evidence sitting on the table in front of him did not support his assertions.

It was time, the examiners were up front, and announced clearly that it was time to begin. Andrew took a deep breath, and held it. For some reason he hoped that action would somehow prompt all the knowledge he'd accumulated over the past seven years and the information he'd tried to cram in over the past year organize, reveal itself and fill out the test papers for him. Nothing magical happened. He let the breath out, and decided he was going to have to do this the hard way. He flipped over the test and began.

He was actually mildly surprised. Over the course of the testing days, the test really didn't seem that hard. He had spent as much of his studying time with Jose and Marissa and it had been fun. Sure the goal had been to prepare for these tests, but he honestly didn't think they had done that good of a job. There had been distractions and interruptions, and sometimes Jose would just disappear to study on his own. He had tried to get Jhon to hunt him down a time or so when he vanished, but whether or not she ever found him, she wouldn't tell him. Regardless, it seemed as though their sessions had been more successful than he'd anticipated.

The transfigurations section just seemed simplistic, he had been expecting some sort of challenge there with the way everyone told horror stories. Neither charms nor DADA weren't terribly bad either. Not surprisingly potions was the hardest he struggled with that one, it was good he had Jose and Marissa helping him study for that section. He'd actually been able to create the potion, despite the smell.

2 Andrew Duell End of the Line? 145 Andrew Duell 0 5