The dimly lit screen is flashing before me. There I am seated with at least forty other classmates who are all taking the same test. We are however strangers because you usually take the test alone and study for it alone.
As I lean back, the chair I am sitting in creaks a bit under the pressure. To my left is a guy with messy brown hair, he seems like the smart type of guy. He has big round glasses and looks like a nerd who spends most of his waking hours in the library. To my right is a women who is fiddling with her phone. The monitor screen at the front of the classroom clearly cautioned against it. However the atmosphere seems relaxed and stuffy.
Sure enough, one of the invigilators authoritatively asks all of us to keep our mobile phones in our pockets or behind the seats. The No-Cheating rule is heavily emphasised. After all there is four person who got caught with impersonation cheating a week before. What more a cheating by device.
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I feel my phone resting in my pockets and sit upright again. I shift my identification card to the front of the desk and look around. The air is dead silent while there is an almost cheerful yet serious tone. Everyone knew that this test is consequential, yet you can always opt to retake it however many times you’d like. Only that you have to pay the small entrance fee in order to take the test once again.
The invigilator gives a small briefing talk and the clock strikes the start time. The screen in front of me immediately turns to the login screen. I gracefully tap my credentials into the black box.
As Charlotte sits in the midst of a classroom who are all tapping away at a screen, the invigilator looks out into the driveway. There, the driving circuit is full once again. Despite it costing very much to get a driving license and buy a car in this city, most do it anyway for the prestige.