Afrobrit episode 10 : Long wait

It is one thing to have to write a tough exam and it is a different ball game having to wait to see the result. Everything I did or encountered reminded me of the exam. My social media was full of fellow candidates constantly discussing what the exams were like. It was pretty hard to ignore. It got so bad I started marking myself to see the odds I had of either passing or failing. I was never really sure what my fate was which made it even more tiring to think about. As the days drew closer, the anxiety worsened. I really did not want to re-write the exam. I had hoped all my personal preparations were enough to help me scale through.

As if the anxiety wasn’t enough, I started flocking around the GMC Plab 1 pass rates to understand my chances. The scariest part for me was the fact I was certain the people I wrote the exam with were highly brilliant individuals, knowing the cut-off mark would be determined by the average score of the day. My friends were getting tired of my constant whining about the exam but it was difficult for me not to go there. For me, it was the realisation that I consciously took the decision to start the plab journey, struggled through the ILETS exam and was finally here, waiting for this second phase to be over. I was really giving myself unecessary headaches but it was hard to ignore.

The day finally came and I could say my heart was literally going to jump out of my chest from the severe palpitations I was having. With shaky hands I went to my GMC profile page to check my result. The site seemed to be jammed from mass result checks all over the world. I wasn’t sure what I would expect but I just wanted the horrible feeling to go away. I must have refreshed my page almost ten times that day. My mum had travelled during this period and no matter what result I got, there was no way I was telling her till she got back. During this whole time, my dad wasn’t quite sure what the whole plab thing was about, he was still trying to understand what the plan was. Basically, my result would be for my eyes only in the house.

The page finally opened and there it was, staring at me after a very long six weeks. I can say it felt like six months instead. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I passed, I passed for real. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I went on to ask my group of friends about theirs. They all passed. Wow! I really can’t remember if I shed a tear or not but joy filled my heart that day but I was yet to realise the toughest ride ahead. The almighty Plab 2 was waiting for me.