With the mad dash to London the week before last and the play all of last week, learning German has taken a back seat. I’ve missed three classes in a row, I haven’t read any of my kids books and I’ve stopped reading the paper and listening to my German dialogue CDs. Last night, I went to my first German class in 2 weeks and it was announced that our A2 test would be the week after next. Cue me panicking!
I am totally unprepared for this. Completely and utterly unprepared. I have felt all through the A2 class that I’m just not keeping up, but thought with my new learn German routine I might be able to pull it all together to pass my test. However, I’m not sure I can pull it all together in just 2 weeks. I’m missing Thursday’s class to do the second week of the play and with it goes all my nights and all my free time until Sunday. I simply feel I don’t have enough time to get myself up to the level I need to be at to pass this test.
So, this is me having a little meltdown. Feel free to ignore the hysterics.
So what if you fail the test?
The world won’t crumble; you’ll just redo the course.
You’re in the course to learn the language, not to write a test that tells you that you passed.
A certificate that says you have a certain level, even if you don’t (because you crammed all the knowledge into you in just two weeks and will lose it as easily) is a certificate that lies. To you, above all others.
If you missed half or a third (just a guess) of the classes, maybe it’s best to actually redo the course. Even if it hurts both your wallet and your pride.
Advancing a level when you’re not really ready may even do worse things to your self-esteem, because it may be even harder to keep up, and will make you feel even more stressed.
That said, I of course have no idea how “ready” you actually are. This is for you to decide.
Just be honest with yourself.
Oh, and good luck anyway, of course :)
Very true, failing this test will just result in 6 months of ‘lost’ time, a blow to my wallet and a battering of my pride, but nothing else.
I have actually only missed about 5 lessons in the 6 months, so I’m not one of those students who have never bothered to turn up but still expects to pass.
I just don’t feel prepared, but then again I didn’t feel prepared for the A1 test and I aced that one.
Perhaps it more about the anxiety of not feeling prepared rather than a lack of knowledge, but I won’t know until I actually sit down and do the test.
Thanks for the good wishes :)