Yesterday, on our way back from Coimbatore, my brother and I were talking about random things. Somehow, the conversation moved to bank exams. My brother said he could have easily cleared a bank exam if he had prepared for it. According to him, it was easy peasy!
We continued talking about our friends who work in banks and how intelligent they are. We were just having a fun conversation, and that was when I remembered an incident from my life. By the end of this blog, you will understand why I am so sure that I can never clear a bank exam!
My dream of getting a 9 to 5 job
I was working in Chennai at that time. My corporate job started at 1 PM and sometimes went on until midnight or even 1 AM. I was fed up with those working hours and badly wanted a 9 to 5 job. One day, someone from my office told me that a nationalised bank based in Karnataka is recruiting and had advertised in the newspaper. I secretly applied for it.
I was so excited! I started dreaming about my new life even before writing the exam.I rehearsed how I would tell my manager that I was going to resign. I even prepared my farewell speech in my head. I was already imagining my happy life with regular working hours and free evenings.
There was just one small problem. I had not prepared for the exam at all!
My exam hall experience
Anyway, I went to write the exam.
The exam centre was an old government school in T Nagar. The moment I entered the classroom, it reminded me of my school days. It felt nostalgic. The view from the window was beautiful. The tree leaves were swaying, and I could see birds and squirrels moving around. I was in a very happy mood.
Then I got my question paper and OMR sheet. And my strategy was simple. I didn’t know any of the answers, so I decided to make art.
Here’s how my exam went:
- Colour about 15 bubbles in a fancy pattern.
- Stare out of the window and watch the birds and squirrels.
- Look at the other candidates. They looked very serious.
- Watch the invigilator get their snacks. Drool a little. Plan what to eat after the exam.
- Go back to the OMR sheet and start a new pattern.
- Repeat.
The plot twist!
Finally, the exam was over, and it was time to hand over the answer sheet. That was when I noticed something strange. Most of the other candidates had left the last part of their OMR sheets blank.
I looked at my question paper again. There were only 150 questions. Then I looked at my OMR sheet. I had coloured all 200 bubbles! Yes, you read that right. The question paper had 150 questions, but I had filled in 200 answers. I had somehow managed to attempt 50 extra questions that did not even exist!
And the worst part? We had to fill in the OMR sheet using a pen, not a pencil. So, there was no question of erasing those extra 50 bubbles! Those bubbles were there to stay. My masterpiece was permanent! I don’t know how to describe what I felt at that moment. I was embarrassed, shocked, and probably wishing the ground would open up and swallow me.
All my dreams of resigning from my corporate job and starting a peaceful 9 to 5 life came crashing down in a few seconds. I rushed back to my hostel and told my roommate, Malathi, what had happened. After listening to my story, she said something that made me even more nervous.
“When they take your OMR sheet for scanning, they will throw it away. Do you know why?” I was already embarrassed. Now I had to deal with this question too! And that was the end of my banking dreams! I don’t regret it. I got a morning of birds, squirrels, window gazing and imaginary snacks. And I got a story to blog about!
Yesterday’s conversation with my brother brought back this memory. Now you know why I told him that I could never clear a bank exam. Some people clear bank exams. Some people fail them. And then there is me, who colours 50 extra bubbles and got a story for life.
As for me, I think I will stick to writing blog posts about bank exams rather than writing the exams themselves!
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