Aniya Grant

Freshmen in Mr. Gibson’s 5th period Honors Biology class prepare for their upcoming exam. These students had just taken the Unit 0 Exam and instead of dwelling on the past, students are focused on what the next exam will hold.

A large wave of stress and pressure swept across honors freshmen as the “Unit 0 Biology Exam”–the first exam of the year–was administered. Before this exam, many freshmen crammed in studying sessions among their heaps of homework so that the first grade will be a success. Over the years, thousands of students have taken this exam, but this year’s freshmen seem more anxious than usual.

A factor that contributed to this uneasiness was the previous year’s class average, which was barely a passing grade. Not knowing what they were walking into distressed freshmen.

“Personally, the only thing I was really stressed about was that the average for the past was 75% and that was apparently on the high side,” Nathan Tan (9) said.

Leading up to the exam, freshmen felt the pressure to perform well. Fortunately, after the exam had passed, it was as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Their attitude toward the exam had gone from being nervous and anxious to feeling proud and at peace with themselves.

“I was [somewhat] numb to it because I was in focus mode. As soon as I started scrolling [through the exam], I was like, okay, it isn’t that bad,” Gia Shan (9) said.

Shan, like many others, was prepared for an extremely difficult exam despite the fact that it had been reported by teachers to be the easiest of the year. When students learned about the difficulty of this exam compared to the ones to be taken in the future, they were stunned. “If I struggled on this exam, how will I even think about taking a harder one?”, was a common question that surfaced.

When questions arise, they often relate to how well-prepared one is for the exam. Many teachers advise that studying the right topics and having a good understanding of them will result in better scores.

“The best way to prepare for any of the exams is to study a little bit every day, including on the weekend. You should also ask questions during class time and lectures about content and what’s to be expected on the exam,” Mr. Dustin Gibson said, one of the Biology teachers.

Ultimately, the “Unit 0 Biology Exam” was just the first of many exams to come. Many teachers and students viewed this exam as a “taste” of what the rest of ninth grade honors biology would present itself to be. With future exams approaching and the difficulty of these exams increasing, this exam could be something to learn from.