As students, we have taken ample tests. Standardized, written, fill in the blank, matching, you name it, we’ve probably struggled through it.
Saturday, Feb. 7 New Trier Juniors gathered their number 2 pencils and TI-83 calculators for the ACT and presumably sat outside their assigned rooms awaiting instructions to “open their test booklets and turn to page one.”
Funnily enough, sometimes the test proctor is the worst of it all. Senior Max Kleinberg joked, “The teacher took about a half hour to figure out what the papers said to do. She couldn’t explain any of it for the life of her.”
Not just juniors, but eighth graders took the standardized placement test on Saturday, Nov. 26. The 13 and 14 year old students were in a frenzy as they filled in bubbles determining what level classes they will enroll into come fall of 2015.
These tests generally bring out a sleep deprived, jittery version of ourselves too. We slowly develop over caffeinated eye twitches and find ourselves sulking through the halls flashcards in one hand, Starbucks to-go cup in the other.
But what is happening during the test itself? Now that you’ve studied, you know your stuff.
Ideally, the classroom environment should be up to par. Except here is the reality: your fellow classmate, let’s call her Sophie, forgot to take her Zyrtec and Claritin combo and, well, she has the sniffles.
I present to you 7 different types of test takers. Everyone from “the one who finishes first” to “desk kicker kid”.

Sniffles Sophie
Sophie’s got a cold and everyone NOSE it. Anyway, Sophie will knowingly walk to the front of the classroom every few minutes and put on a show before the entire class.
In fact, she’s timed it perfectly so that her act is orchestrated to the beat of the page flips and bubble fill-ins. But wait! Now Sniffles Sophie has rearranged the room to fit her nose blowing needs. Instead of ascending from her seat, this girl has the waste bin adjacent to her desk, the box of extra soft Kleenex over her plethora of papers, and the Purell in the middle of it all (because god forbid any of her germs get onto her hands).

The Loud Breather
Cousin to Sniffles Sophie, The Loud Breather is absolutely clueless of what he or she is doing. I’m not saying they should stop breathing altogether, but maybe just for a minute.

The One That Finishes First
Finishing first during a test is probably the worst feeling ever. Enter “the walk of shame”: You slowly make your way up to your teacher only to realize you probably got the first question wrong. You finally relax back into your seat now remembering that you forgot to put your name on the test as well.
On the other hand, the one who finishes first may also be the one with the most confidence and automatically assumes the role of the catalyst. He’s created the domino effect that will result in everyone following his lead with fifteen minutes left to spare [insert sigh of relief].

The Cheaters
In their case, each test is more of an “accidental partner test,” and that is perfectly fine.

Desk Kicker Kid
Beware: the Desk Kicker Kid is out there. If said person is sitting behind you, ensure that you are not wearing braids because DKK will probably pull them. And don’t even think twice about slowly inching your desk closer and closer to the front of the room. DKK will most likely follow, establishing their feet at the hind of your chair, yet again. Feel free to shoot dirty looks to DKK throughout the quiz.

Anxiety Annie and Manic Mike
These two study together every day after school and never start their homework past 4:00 p.m. They’ve reviewed so much that they make all their classmates look bad. Really bad. Instead of indulging their Sunday evenings watching Keeping up with The Kardashians and watching Sunday Night Football, Annie and Mike are playing quizlet and re-reading sparknotes, all while speed walking on the treadmill. To their demise, they’ll probably just receive an A- on the test.

The Question Asker
She stands up every five minutes to ask a question about a question. Teacher responds by proposing another question. Student walks away crying and doesn’t know why.

There are probably many more test takers that languish in these florescent lit hallways.
There’s the kid that always forgets a pencil and the one whose phone goes off too.
I’m curious: what are some annoyances you’ve experienced during a test? Have you ever been one of the 7 prospects above? Check out newtriernews.org and tell us in a poll which test taker bothers you the most!