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Japanese Tests I took a Japanese test last Sunday. For me it was pretty humiliating. The test I took is the EASIEST of all Japanese tests you can take. I have some problems that make learning a new language ..... difficult. But that is no excuse I studied a average of 2 to 3 hours a day in the final month before the test, and usually 3 or 4 hours a week before the test date was a real issue. Regardless I got to the test with plenty of time and settled into my seat. I immediately realized I did not have a pencil. WTF am I that dumb. YES. So I looked around and finally borrowed one from the over prepared 16 y.o. American girl sitting behind me. Embarrassing. I heard the instructors say no chewing gum but didn't really care. I noticed they were staring at me during the first portion of the test but was too busy concentrating to care. Finally towards the end of the second test one came up and said "chew gume no" I replied in Japanese hai or yes I have some in here. Not amused I was issued a yellow card. Then I went back to my test. When the second test had almost finished the HEAD instructor came over and asked if I had gum and I opened my mouth to show it to her. She told me I got a yellow card. I said I know thank you. She stared at me blankly like I was supposed to grovel for my life. As she starred at me and held the yellow card I gently grabbed her wrist and turned her palm up towards me and then asked if she would like me to spit it out? Her expression changed drastically as she attempted to pull her had free. I let go and went back to my test. [1] Next there was a hour long break for lunch during which time I ate, & drank but did not do the one thing i meant to do after all. BUY A PENCIL. By the time I realized my blunder the Convenient store was filled with stupid gaijin (just like me) who did not bring a lunch. The line was out the door so I had no choice but to turn sheepishly to 16 year old girl again and say "Can I borrow a pencil...again?" Ya that sucked. The last part of the test was about to start when I noticed all the test proctors looking at me. To be a prick I made some chewing motions with my mouth and the initial idiot who gave me the first yellow card came over to ask me to spit out my gum, I opened my mouth to reveal ..... nothing. Once a class clown always a class clown. The 16 y.o. and her friend laughed the hardest followed by some of the other people I met during the break and the 45 y.o. Australian guy sitting in front of me. The head proctor was laughing too but I hope that was not cause she had already disqualified me. I took the test and it was the grammar portion, the most difficult part for me. I payed attention to the time and when I had 2 minutes left I filled in the remaining 5 questions with random answers and then went back to where I left off. I realized then that I didn't have a eraser and no matter what I couldn't change anything. I put down my pencil and resigned to failure. I looked around to see who was done and then BLAM! This short cute Japanese woman proctor ran right up to me and pulled out her yellow card. "you look around" She whispered. I said " I done" then for emphasis I said it in Japanese. She frowned. I think she would have made a great dominatrix really. She was short and cute and looked like she was dying to punish some big masculine foreigner for all of his wrong doing. I finished the test ( a whole 11 more minutes) with out incident. I think honestly for all my efforts I might pass. MIGHT maybe 50/50. Regardless the test format was different than I had thought and the time allotted was not what was printed on the cards that they give out and I just felt no matter how prepared I was I was not prepared. Next year will be better ..... I am already working on it. [1]Catch22 if I was to spit out the gum I would have had to go in my bag and got a tissue or something else to cover it. Going into your bag is also a violation.... Yes my fault for not caring about the rules but hey IM AMERICAN we make the rules up as we go along.