Board exam superstitions: Do you know or follow these beliefs?

Taking a board examination is probably one of the most stressful experiences a person could endure upon entering the real world–at least in my case.

I recently took my licensure board examination last weekend, and it was an experience I would happily not want to face again–thank you very much.

As I pick myself up from the study slump I fell into for months before facing my exam, I want to share bits of wisdom I learned throughout my journey while I dread waiting for the results.

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No, these will not involve what I learned from my weekend review sessions or the information I compressed in my brain days before D-day.

Let’s discuss some shared knowledge and tips passed on across board takers as we face our common battle. While confidence in our study ethics and learning is essential in facing the board examination, it would not do harm to follow some shared superstitions, right?

Without any ado, here are some of the board exam superstitions I heard from people I know:

Have your pencils sharpened by topnotchers

Let’s start with a classic. It is common among board takers to have their pencils sharpened by people who topped the examination they took. In some cases, people say they should be sharpened by a professional in their field, including doctors, dentists, or engineers.

I had mine sharpened by four of my lecturers, half of which topped the board examination. To be honest, I followed the superstition because my block mates did during our review classes, but I learned that it was supposed to bring you luck and guidance while taking the examination.

I guess, in some ways, it helped me on the day I took the examination because as I entered my assigned room, I knew I was not going in alone. I was with the four lecturers I trusted to bring me luck and the blessing to ace the exam through my sharpened pencils.

Follow religious rituals

Of course, I would not have arrived this far in my journey without God’s guidance. Apart from the secular superstitions, I also followed common Cebuano religious rituals for spiritual guidance in my journey, which included the following:

• Light a green candle in Our Lady of Lindogon Shrine in Simala, Sibonga.
• Write a prayer petition to the nuns from the Carmelite Monastery in Mabolo, Cebu City
• Ask a candle vendor from Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño to dance a prayer for you

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It varies for each person. Some pray to their deities or patron saints, but I hold these traditions so close to my heart that I choose to follow them not as an obligation but as part of my patronage as a believer of the Holy Child, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and Our Lady of Lindogon.

Wear red underwear or any red accessory

First and foremost, I want to clarify that this is the only superstition I did not follow on this list, but I think it would be worth sharing. I heard from some of my friends who took and passed the board examination that they wore red underwear while taking it.

According to Chinese beliefs, red is a lucky color, probably where this belief originated. It started with encouraging board takers to bring a small red ribbon or wear a red article of clothing while taking the test until, for some reason, it evolved into the belief that wearing red underwear is lucky.

I personally did not follow it, but I know some people who did. I guess to each their own.

Do not pick up a pencil you dropped

It was something I learned a few days ago that you should not pick up any pencils after you dropped them to avoid bad luck while taking the examination. I did not make a conscious effort to remember it, but in a fortuitous turn of events, it is now forever attached to a memorable experience in my board exam journey.

On the first day of the exam, as we were shading our information sheets, I accidentally dropped my pencil–maybe it was the anxiety or my carelessness. As soon as the pencil hit the floor, I remembered the superstition my friend told me, so I took no chances. I left the pencil on the floor and secured another pencil from my examination kit.

I realized it was not an isolated superstition as the same thing happened to another test taker adjacent to me. Our pencils sat on the floor for the entire exam days until we left our rooms on the last day, and nobody dared to pick them up.

Kick your chair before leaving the room, and never look back

As soon as you finish taking the board exam, you are encouraged to kick the chair and leave the room immediately without looking back. People say that it was meant for good luck, so I took no chances and followed it.

I was among the first people to finish the last test in my assigned room, so I had to be careful when kicking my chair to avoid disruptions. Unfortunately, I kicked my chair a little bit harder than anticipated, causing a noise that got the attention of some testtakers.

So, I immediately ran out of the room without looking back, hitting two birds with one stone: following the superstition and avoiding a potentially more embarrassing situation.

These are just five of the long list of superstitions that I have heard from people who took the board examination. Some people have followed other superstitions, which include avoiding a haircut while reviewing or putting a coin in your shoe.

After all, these are just some superstitions to keep a test taker sane, and I guess what matters most is how much you have learned in your board exam journey and how you plan to use it to claim that coveted license.

As I and thousands of hopeful future psychometricians anxiously wait for our test results to decide our career fate, we have yet to prove the effectiveness of the superstitions we followed. At the very least, it gave us a sense of security that we did what we could more than trust in what we learned to face the exam.

Did these superstitions work for you when you took your board examination?

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