God’s guidance—even on tests
My junior year of high school, I decided to take Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus. It was hard work, but I kept an A grade both semesters. However, whenever we would complete practice problems in preparation for the standardized AP test at the end of the year, I would do very poorly. No matter how hard I tried, I struggled.
A week or two before the actual AP Calculus exam, my teacher gave us a mock exam—timing us and using an official test from a previous year. (It’s helpful to know that AP tests are scored on a five-point scale, with five being the highest. Many colleges give students credit for AP exams if they pass with a score of three or higher.) My goal was to score a three on this practice test, to ensure that I was ready for the real one and could ultimately receive college credit for the course. However, when we graded our tests during the next class period, I discovered that I’d scored nowhere close to a three. In fact, I scored just barely above a one, which is the lowest possible score.
The situation seemed hopeless. How could I possibly raise my test score even to a three in less than a few weeks’ time? Still, I was determined to pass the test. Every day after school I worked with my teacher and several peers, and in the evenings I continued to study on my own or with a friend.
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