Theory test
Chapter 37: Theory test
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The entire duration of the test was one day, and during that day, the theoretical part would be held in the morning, and the practical part in the afternoon.
It might seem a bit excessive to do both tests on the same day,
but this mostly depended on the period in which the test took place and what school year it was.
In the first year, the theoretical test would be the same as in the other two years,
but the practical one would be shorter and more contained, mainly testing the students' physical abilities through arena combat.
For the second and third years, instead, the test would be held outdoors, in a special training field prepared just for the occasion.
The students from the various years split up, each heading to their designated areas within the academy, guided by the instructor assigned to them.
The second year students' group was brought to a large Room, big enough to comfortably hold a few hundred people.
This would be the testing room for the first test.
Three instructors had been assigned to this group, each one responsible for handling different parts of the theoretical test.
Once everyone was inside, the instructor standing in the center made a gesture, and the doors of the large room began to move, closing completely within seconds.
The instructor in question was a middle aged woman with a calm and composed appearance.
She had black hair and almond colored eyes.
She was one of the instructors assigned to the second year students.
Even though the movement of the doors caught a few people's attention, no one got distracted, and everyone focused on the pearson in the center.
Seeing that everything was ready, she nodded and turned her gaze toward the crowd of second year students.
"This will be the testing room for the theoretical exam.
I'm sure many of you already know how the test will be conducted, but let me refresh your memory one more time," she said, making a movement with her hand as a series of papers started flying,
all heading toward the right side of the room, where a large group of small, neatly aligned desks stood.
"The theoretical test is divided into three phases.
The first one is the written test, where your knowledge of the basic subjects will be put to the test," she said, and upon hearing this, many students lowered their heads.
By basic subjects, it meant the history of the empire, knowledge of the various stages of cultivation, the geography of the empire, and familiarity with certain important places,
both for their historical significance and for their practical value.
Knowing where to go to cultivate, the different elemental regions, where certain spirit beasts resided, places with unique properties,
all this knowledge was important not just for cultivators, but also for those focusing on secondary professions.
Basically, anything that could help a person in the future depending on the path they would take.
More advanced knowledge was something individual cultivators would have to study on their own according to their interests and needs.
The academy could only guide them,
how they walked their path and how much they learned depended on each person.
The written test would only cover the basic knowledge everyone was expected to know.
The instructor in the center, seeing that no one had questions, continued,
"After you finish the first phase, you'll automatically move on to the next one, where your knowledge of the secondary subjects you each chose will be tested," she said.
Just like there were main subjects, there were also secondary ones, and everyone was required to pick one when they enrolled.
These could vary by category, and their main purpose was to focus on something specific that the individual wanted to learn more about.
Everyone was required to choose at least one secondary subject, and Zhu Rong had picked one related to the art of forging.
His past self had thought that, being from a family of blacksmiths and already having some basic knowledge of forging, this subject would be an easy win for him,
and in fact, his first year had gone well.
"The third phase of the theoretical test will focus more on your reasoning skills.
You'll be given various problems from different subjects, and based on the number of answers you give and the content of those answers, you'll be evaluated.
Among the three tests, this is the one that awards the most points, so if you haven't done well in the first two, it would be wise to make up for it here," she said in a steady voice, as if she were used to repeating the same things over and over.
The theoretical test was divided into three phases for several reasons, but the main one was to give students a chance to pass even if they didn't know how to handle one of the tests.
In fact, to pass, you needed to get good results in at least two of the three phases.
If not, you'd fail, and your final score would be too low.
The final score that determined who passed and who didn't was made up of both the theoretical and the practical tests.
Depending on your performance, you'd earn points that would either slightly or significantly boost your final total.
In total, it was possible to earn 100 points from both tests combined, and you needed at least 60 points overall to be considered as having passed.
Anyone who was even one point short would have to retake the test next time, no exceptions.
All the students listened carefully to the teacher's explanation, and in the end, when they were given permission, they all went to their assigned desks.
Each student had their own talisman that showed their student code.
It was enough to follow the instructions to easily find your seat.
Zhu Rong reached his desk and sat down casually, waiting for everyone to get into position.
They had 60 minutes to answer, and as soon as time was up, the papers would be collected without exception.
The sheet placed in front of him was blank, with no instructions or anything else, but he wasn't bothered.
Instead, he took his talisman and placed it in a designated slot on his desk.
Soon, a series of runes lit up, and the once empty sheet began to fill up with rows of text.