Examined at Forty

Excerpt

I broke the seal on the examination booklet with the eraser end of the #2 lead pencil provided, exactly as instructed by the proctor. The booklet, the pencil, the optical scan answer sheet, and the overly careful instructions had not changed in the 10 years that had elapsed since I last took a national certifying exam. The proctor was even the same Professor of Examinations who had read me these overly explicit instructions 10 and 20 years ago. I opened the booklet, removed the familiar pink optical scan answer sheet, and closed the booklet again. While quietly awaiting further unnecessary