Qualifying English Test

Sometimes, your past can come back to haunt you. The clattering sound of the chains of regret would issue from the near-forgotten memory, to remind you that the past misery is all but dead.

When I penned down my last word in A-Level General Paper examination last year, I was overjoyed to believe that the subject, which was a pain in the neck, would never appear again in my life. Yup, I was not deeply shocked when I saw the letter D aligned to the right of "General Paper" upon receiving my result slip earlier this year. All would be fine, I told myself.

So persisted the illusion until today, when my dear friend Billy gave me a shocking revelation. "If you get into NUS and score below C for General Paper, there is this Qualifying English Test (QET) that you have to sit." My heart skipped a beat as I took up a QET sample paper and flipped through the pages. In the essay section, I caught sight of a phrase that goes, ".... Do you agree with the statement?"

Now, doesn't that sound argumentative and to a large measure, GP-ish in nature? To make matter worse, I am taken back by the reality that I will still have to take English as course at undergraduate level after studying the subject from kindergarten. Frankly, what is so wrong with my English? I do confess that it is not perfect - i occasionally commit grammatical errors at odd times - but it is still fair. I don't speak with a broken English and I certainly don't write in the same dilapidated manner. Getting a D in GP is lamentable but is it necessary to use that as tool of judgement to include me in the QET? Billy said that taking QET was degrading to our command of English.

I am saddened by the new reality that is suddenly thrust into my life. Initially, I thought that I could exempt myself from QET with my SAT scores (i took SAT as a backup anyway). However, it was shocking to note that NUS requires at least 750 for critical reading and writing (it am not sure whether whether this is the combined score or the minimum score for each section) and a score of at least 10 for essay. Anyway, I fall a little short of achieving the requirement by scoring 730, 700, and 9 for critical reading, writing, and essay section respectively. If tears cannot roll down from my eyes, then they would roll all the way into the deepest corner of my heart.

All I can tell myself is,"Ryan, buck up your spirit and sit for the test on July the 18th. All will be fine, God willing." All will be fine, I pray.