A Day of Reckoning: My First Time Conducting State Exams

Today I administered state exams at Timiryazev Academy's Institute of Economics and Management in Agriculture as chair of the State Examination Board. I was invited to take part back in the winter. At the time I thought, why not? As the day approached, I began to appreciate just how much responsibility and work the role involved.

Today was the first exam day, with 50 undergraduate students. I had an instant flashback to my own student years, but for the life of me I couldn't remember taking a state exam myself, other than one in my military training program. It was a long time ago...

I was pretty nice to the students today and didn't give anyone an unnecessarily hard time. I asked guiding questions and helped them find their way toward answers. Students who understood what they were saying and writing received top marks; for those who struggled, I based my grade on how they solved the practical problem. Overall, I enjoyed it. The students were open, approachable, and reasonably calm. I gave them some advice for the future: keep things simple and never stop learning.

I'll be chairing the board again tomorrow and the day after, so I hope I don't get tired of it. In June I'll be evaluating final theses as well.

Update: On May 29 I examined another group, which seemed a little stronger to me—they answered with more confidence. On May 30 I examined master's students in a targeted enrollment program; they turned out to be experienced adult professionals. Everyone was smart and well prepared. It was a pleasure.