Today, my son took his 11+ exams. He shared that due to the large number of students, they were divided into various rooms and halls for the exams.
In the hall where my son was assigned, it was initially communicated that there would be a clock in the room to help students keep track of time. However, when he entered the room, he found that the clock was positioned behind him. Throughout the exams, there were no verbal reminders or visible cues indicating the remaining time, except for a voice on a computerized display board at the end announcing that the time was up.
During his preparation, whether at tuition, at home, or in his previous exam at another grammar school a couple of weeks ago, my son had grown accustomed to receiving timely reminders about the time remaining, such as "15 minutes left" or "5 minutes left." Unfortunately, the absence of these reminders in this format made it challenging for him to adjust, resulting in unfinished questions.
What makes the situation more frustrating is that some of his friends who were also taking the exams today in different rooms and halls received actual verbal reminders about the time remaining. Considering that the exam consisted of multiple-choice questions, timely notices like "5 minutes left" could have made a significant difference. As a result, my son and others in his class feel that they were put at a disadvantage.