Final National Exam

It is May, the month that my students have been waiting for more than 10 months. For grade six Elementary students in Indonesia, May is a big and important month. It is the month when they have their Final National Examination. It is the scores the students get from this National Final Exams that will determine whether they pass the level or not. No wonder if May is a month that scares, perhaps, students with difficulties in studying.

I was in that position before, I was not one of the brilliant nor the sufficient student in lessons. I might be in the below so-so group. I had to study many times harder and felt the heart beat ten times faster at that time. Yet, I survived with the positive spirit and preparations. I am so glad that I finally passed three times of National Final Exams, those were to pass the Elementary, Junior High and Senior High.

So, I guess I can feel what my students are feeling at the moment. Being an Elementary student is much more tougher as in this level one would have the first National Exam. The nervousness, the anxieties, the excitements are all there.

However, what makes me different from the students that I am teaching at the moment is the label of the school. My former school was a National school. My present school in which I teach is National Plus school. For you to know, one of the difference of those two schools in Indonesia is the language used in lessons. National school uses Indonesian, while National Plus school uses English.

Being a National school student gave me more confidence, preparations and knowledge to face the National Exam. I was taught in Indonesian so that I was more familiar with the vocabularies, expressions, tenses and knowledge of Indonesian language. I was raised with well-prepared academic calendar to help me grow with the proper time and knowledge to face any things. In short, I seemed to be more prepared.

Preparation is vital for any examinations. I must confess that being a National Plus school student is way harder than the National as starting from the language used is different. So, the students need to works harder to be familiar with the language as well as to master the materials. Next thing is as the curriculum is different, then the National Plus school students might have difficulties in having sufficient time length to prepare themselves for Final Examination. Even so, I do believe with a good school academic calendar, these things will be well solved. Spirit carries on!!