It was yet another lab exam in Warangal.As usual,I had left half of the experiments as unknown and firmly believed that I would get a question from the known half. Even among the known ones, I barely knew anything beyond connecting the circuit.Theory behind it,calculations,formula-zilch I knew.I had to maintain my un-nerdable status,right?

In spite of the multiple failures I had in lab exams,the ones that had proven the optimist in me wrong,I was positive,confident.

That was the Special Machines lab exam.The invigilator was an Ad-Hoc Lady Faculty(AHLF),evidently low on confidence.When I figured it was her, I breathed a sigh of relief.

By random draw of lots,I picked up my experiment.I vaguely remembered how the circuit looked like.Vaguely is not what is expected in an Electrical Lab.The circuit is everything.In these labs, they will let one give the power supply only when the invigilator says okay to the circuit diagram.After managing to remember bits and pieces of the experiment,I got the whole set of motor,generators and VARIACs VARs to do the experiment.I created a circuit diagram and went ahead confidently to our lady invigilator.

She gave me looks as if when the circuit was powered,not only can it damage the Warangal feeders but can turn the whole South India grid upside down.

Me:Something wrong with the circuit?
AdHoc Lady Faculty:mmm…(confused,not sure of the fact that she was wrong)
Me:Madam,is it aesthetically unpleasant or factually erroneous
AHLF:(What is this guy talking!!) Ya ya, whatever. How can this wire go here? And why is this component here?
Me:Ya ya, madam, I knew this. Small mistake!!! small mistake!!! Sorry sorry!

So with full support from that AHLF,I managed to clear that lab exam.

Failures in labs don’t end there.During the times when BigB made a grand come back with KBC,“I would like to quit” (the phrase contestants used to get out of the hot seat) was my favorite.

Scene: IC(Integrated Circuits) Lab Exam.I did not cover exactly 1 and a half experiment.

Lady luck had a break up with me the night before,for sure.
So, I went and picked up my experiment, god! the one that I didn’t know! I approached the sadist Prof in ECE department and told him that I did not cover this experiment.The rule says that I can get another experiment forfeiting 5 marks.C’mon! 5 marks.That was a day when my stars were all in order like our city traffic.
I picked my sheet and that was the half experiment I cared to neglect.
“You wont get any more chance. You may leave”,said the Prof.

Ego-meter in me was overshooting and pleading to an ECE Prof was not happening.I proudly said” I would like to quit”
I returned to my room in sometime and… there goes the power supply.The story is that the readings taken by most guys went for a toss,thanks to the power cut and every one passed.
I got my first zero there.I was zeroing in on days to come.
How can a Prof be this bad to a student? How can someone be given zero? 1 mark, 2 marks at least. Is there a law of conservation of marks that makes giving at least pass marks so difficult?

This was not my first tryst with single digits.It was what I got in Basic Computer Programming in the first year. The 50 marks paper,amongst a lot of other questions,had this question , “What is a computer”? that too for 5 marks.Also were there questions on Pascal programming.With an answer sheet filled mostly with the history of computers,and some Pascal code, I managed a 2. What about the 5 pages I wrote on What is a Computer? ?

With sessional marks that resembled an array of single digits,mark-sheets that piled up to match a month’s supply of newspaper,I managed to finish my degree.

Shhh..don’t tell this to my employer. Please please. You know that the job market is down,right?

Related posts:

1. From one corner of Comp Lab
2. Lost soles