Step One: CBST

Today was a rather unspectacular day, except that I did a spectacular thing: I signed up to take the CBST test — the first thing I need to do on my way to a teaching credential.  Had I went for the more traditional (and much cheaper!) paper version of the test, I would need to wait until September 9th.  I did not want to wait that long! (The first available date for the CSET test, the single subject test, is September 18th.  I didn’t want to do back-to-back weeks).  I paid the extra $61 to take the “online” test, which still requires you to show up at a testing facility.  We’ll just call it the computerized version of the test.  The advantage of the computerized version is that there are many more dates to choose from, and not all are on weekends.  I could have gone with a week from Saturday for a local test in Milpitas.  Still too long a time frame for me; I went with a test in San Jose that takes place tomorrow!  I’ll have little to no time to study for the test, but I think I’ll be alright: the test is supposed to be “basic,” and every teacher I’ve talked to says that I’ll ace it.  I also took the practice test and got something beyond 90%.  I should pass this thing the first time.  The main challenge will be in the reading portions later on in the test.  Afternoons are not my best time, and I can only handle so much mental exercise before my dyslexia begins to creep in.  Reading and Math get difficult after that.  Usually, I can counter all this with coffee, but no food or drink is allowed in the testing center.  Tomorrow, it will be just me and a computer for 4.5 hours.