Test Day...Part 2

Those who know me best know that I have been relatively preoccupied lately with the RPR, hence the lack of updates. However, last weekend Day 2 of the RPR test FINALLY arrived. This portion of the test was the skills portion, which consists of three timed tests on your machine followed by a timed transcription time for each test. The end result is to hopefully turn in three transcripts that are 95% accurate or better. The total amount of time for the test ends up being about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. I was feeling relatively calm, cool, and collected about it right up until the day of. I felt confident I had done just about all I could do to prepare for it. However, that all changed the morning of the test. I woke up and was suddenly plagued with nerves. I thought I might actually be sick due to my nerves. But I got myself together, loaded up all my equipment, quadruple checked all my needed supplies, and hit the road for Day 2.

When I arrived, the room that was offering all three legs was packed. There were about 25 people total in my room and I quietly found a space for myself and set up my machine, laptop, and printer and proceeded to warm up. I was starting to feel little calmer. I am soooo glad I practice a lot with my eyes closed. I simply closed my eyes, and it helped to shut out the nerves, all the other people around me, and the uncomfortableness of a new testing environment. I was starting to feel a little more upbeat about the test. When the test officially began, and the literary warm up started, I was dead on. I nailed it. I knew I could do this. After the warm up the literary portion started.....WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!! As soon as the first words of the test were spoken, my fingers immediately turned to jello and I noticed they were literally trembling. I was writing, but I was feeling like I was hitting a lot of extra keys because of my newly acquired jello fingers. After about a minute, I noticed...I"M NOT BREATHING!!! (You always forget those darn simple things.) I quickly pulled myself together, regained my focus, and the rest of the test was actually pretty good. The jury was way better. I feel pretty good about that as well. Thankfully, the jello fingers that had plagued me on the first test, were not nearly as bad. Lastly, the Q&A....well, let's just say, it was your typical Q&A. I hated it and I know it wasn't a pass. Although my Q&A was no doubt lacking, I am feeling pretty hopeful about the lit and jury. Hopefully the jello fingers didn't mess me up too much.

So now I wait...and wait....and wait for my test results. Six to eight weeks to be precise. All in all, I think my first RPR experience was pretty great. I choose to celebrate that fact that I have made it as far as I have, and that I'm even at the point where I am allowed to take the RPR. Pass or fail, cheers to me! (of course, I would much rather have some passing going on than failing.)