297

I took the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) today. I bought a review book for the exam that contained pertinent information and practice tests. Imagine the SATs you took in high school, but on steroids. Included in the GRE are two math sections. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate math and am terrible at it. I'm not sure how, but I was miraculously able to enlist Leo as my personal math tutor. We Skyped the last couple days for many many hours doing the ridiculous math problems and talking through the steps. I wasn't sure if the tutoring would have any effect since my memory is usually shitty at best. What if I completely forget everything he took the time to explain to me?
As I was driving to the exam center I was blasting my recent song obsession on a loop and singing along to try and avoid the anxiety. I got mildly lost on my way there, but that isn't out of character for me. I got to the center early, so I decided to go over my notes one last time. I skimmed through the pages and began to feel a minor panic. I closed the books and forced myself out of the car. I made my way to the testing rooms and I became eerily calm. I took a deep breath before starting the timer for the test. I was nervous, but felt a slight sense of confidence. I made my way to the math sections, and was baffled for some of the questions. I made educated (sometimes random) guesses and hoped for the best. I finished the test with time to spare. I clicked forward a couple pages until I saw my score. It gave me individual scores from both the math and reading comprehension sections. I added up the scores and ended up with 297. I sat there for a minute feeling confused and somewhat baffled. I double checked my math and determined that I was correct the first time. I made my way out of the testing room and grabbed my phone. I did the calculations for what my score translated to by way of a percentage. I got an 87 on my first try taking the GRE. People study for months and take prep courses before actually taking the exam. I only had a few weeks (but didn't really study too intensely until last week) to study and didn't take a prep course at all. Somehow I managed to work/bullshit my way through a fairly difficult test. I know people who have taken it several times and not gotten above an 80. I would give my stunningly fantastic guessing skills all the credit, but Leo deserves most of the accolades for this achievement. He took time out of his life to attempt to tutor me. It is nearly impossible to explain math to me in a way I will actually understand, but he did it. He sacrificed valuable sleep and time to help me, and it seemed to have actually worked. What he gets out of helping me I will probably never know or understand. I'm going over to his place on Sunday and I'm getting him high for the first time. I'm wondering what his reaction will be and what his tolerance is like.
Now that the GRE is over I have time to relax and breathe for a little while. The potential job is sounding more and more positive as time goes on, so I'm not running myself ragged job hunting per usual. I'm in a good place right now. I hope it lasts for a while this time. That would be nice.