Headmaster Brockert
February 15, 2017 8:22 PM
CATS by Headmaster Brockert
It was that time of the year again at Sonora. The time of the year when the fifth years took their CATS exams. It was most likely an incredible source of stress for the lot of them , but at least it would all be over soon...for two years until they had to sit for their RATS.Most likely adding to a student's stress was the possibility of having Nanette Langdon as an examiner. With her tight bun, sharp features and cold eyes, her face looked as if it had never seen a smile and with a personality to match her looks it wasn't likely that students who had the misfortune to get her as their examiner would be smiling much for awhile either.
On the other hand, David Weatherby was very much a desired examiner as he tended to be the most fair of them all. Not to mention that despite his age, most of the female students found him pleasing to look at with his striking green eyes, lean figure and salt and pepper hair.
While the female students had David Weatherby to look at, the males had Aurora Septentrion. She had beautiful long blonde hair and gave off a warm and friendly vibe. Yet, she took her job quite seriously and was no pushover.
That role was filled by Roland Ashburn. He was a friendly sort, eager to be liked and as such, tended to pass most students. While Mr. Weatherby was surely most people's favorite examiner, to those who were more anxious, less academically inclined or more unscrupulous, he most likely held a certain appeal.
Once the fifth years had assembled for their morning theoretical exams, Ms. Langdon addressed them as anti-cheating quills were handed out along with the testing materials. "There will be no cheating and anyone who is caught doing so will be asked to leave and automatically fail their exams. If you finish early, sit quietly so as not to disturb anyone else."
Practical exams were to be in the afternoon. All students would be called up to perform their tasks and then were free to go.
Subthreads: Little ball of fur by Ginger Pierce
What I prepared for... right? by Jack Spencer
11
Headmaster Brockert
CATS
6
Headmaster Brockert
1
5
Ginger Pierce
February 16, 2017 12:21 PM
Little ball of fur by Ginger Pierce
As it was her fifth year, Ginger had not missed that most of her teachers had been emphasizing the exams that now finally faced her. Truthfully, she had not studied much more she would have for a normal end of year exam. She figured if she knew it, she'd be fine and if she didn't, no amount of cramming was going to change that. So last night she just sat in the common room with Jake, chatting about some of her favorite class memories from the last few years. This morning she enjoyed her breakfast and got a good luck kiss from her boyfriend and here she was.She set the the written theoretical exam diligently, not at all confident that she'd earn any Os, but fully confident that she'd get at least an A in everything, and as long as she got good enough scores to continue three classes into RATS, she figured that was good enough for her. As the heir to the California Pierces, her future was already secure and determined and no test result was going to alter that certainty. That security greatly lessened her nerves and let her actually focus on her work instead of worrying about how a bad day of testing might alter her entire life for the worse.
So she cheerfully worked her way through the questions, marking the ones she knew and making wild guesses at those she didn't and was pretty pleased that the former seemed to outnumber the later. The professors had clearly done a good job with their prep lessons and practice exams.
In the afternoon, she was fortunate to avoid the dour looking woman and got the younger looking man as her examiner. He introduced himself as Mr. Ashburn and she introduced herself with a bright smile because Sully had said he was the best one and it took a lot for Sully to sound so positive about anyone.
She got through her Transfiguration practical with him with far less trouble than she was expecting from that subject, and though her results were not entirely perfect, Mr. Ashburn seemed pleased with them and so she was as well.
She was not so lucky in her other practicals, but her command of those subjects was stronger, so luck wasn't as big a factor. She sailed easily through Charms with Mr. Weatherby, and performed admirably in both potions and Creatures with Ms. Septentrion, though she did make some notes on some very minor mistakes that Ginger felt pretty certain the men would have let slide.
For DADA, she got Ms. Langdon, which she kind of felt might have been appropriate. Anyway, Professor Pye wasn't exactly soft and cuddly either, so it wasn't much worse than having him standing by and judging her work on its merits and failings. She thought she at least matched her classroom performance anyway and while an O was probably out of the question, an E wasn't impossible, depending on how her written came out.
And her Divination work was solid. Not even Ms. Langdon could find fault there. Ginger had grown up learning divination right along with the alphabet; she was sure of her O there. She could practically See it. Hehe.
Ashburn returned for her Muggle Studies exam, too, but she didn't need any leniency there either. Finally, she finished off with Astronomy and while she wasn't glorious at using a telescope, she never missed a Science Club meeting where that was the focus, so she was at least proficient at it.
All in all, she felt very positive about her tests. At the end of the week, she gave Jake another kiss and wished him her good luck on his exams next week.
1
Ginger Pierce
Little ball of fur
302
Ginger Pierce
0
5
Jack Spencer
February 17, 2017 7:50 AM
What I prepared for... right? by Jack Spencer
The day of the CATS exam, Jack woke up feeling queasy. He hadn't slept very well the night before even though he hadn't felt ill. When he went down to the examination room for the theoretical, he wished he hadn't eaten breakfast. He'd forced himself to eat toast with jam and eggs, knowing that a good breakfast was important to focus, but now he felt like he was going to be sick. Jack tugged on his hair, frustrated with himself. He'd never been this anxious about an exam before - though it was true that this was his first ever really important exam.The thought made his heart start pounding in his chest.
Jack hardly took a look at the examiners before beginning the exam. He stared blankly at the first page. 'Why can't I understand this? I need to focus!' Jack tugged at his hair again and moved his nose closer to the paper. He'd prepared so much for this, it should be easy. Jack took a moment to look up at the ceiling, wishing he believed in some sort of diety to bless him. He looked back down at his paper, closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. 'It's just a normal exam, Jack. Just like any other you've taken before,' he thought to himself. Jack took a deep breath and dived back into the questions. After the first page, the next came a bit easier, and the next after that. Soon he was finished, feeling somewhat more confident than when he'd begun.
Practical exams were in the afternoon, and Jack felt confident about these. He'd been practising his magic quite a lot in preparation for this, and his courses here and prepared him well. As he waited for his turn, he took a good look at each examiner. He sincerely hoped he didn't get Langdon as his examiner, nor the peppy-looking Ashburn. Septentrion was beautiful, but Jack didn't want to trip over his feet trying to perform whilst she judged him.
When he was called, Jack rose to his feet, his stomach sinking and his heart fluttering as he approached Septentrion. He was sure his face was going to flush as she smiled at him, but he couldn't think about that. "Nice to meet you, John," she said to him, and Jack nodded, mouth dry.
By the end of the practical exam and with a friendly, "Goodbye!" from his examiner, Jack wanted to hit his head against a pillar. Though it had gone well enough, enough for him to pass, he'd been distracted enough that his spells weren't on par as per usual. Damn the female sex! The child inside of Jack wanted to cry, but instead he went outside to get some fresh air. At least it was over and he was going to pass. With what mark he didn't know, but with at least an E. Jack sighed loudly and flopped down on a bench at the entrance to the gardens.
40
Jack Spencer
What I prepared for... right?
299
Jack Spencer
0
5