Friday 4 September 2009

Rude awakening


Swiss has been kicking back and enjoying the school summer holiday. He knew that there was some homework, but being a persuasive and determined kind of guy, he was extremely successful in persuading himself that 'there is loads of time', I can do that later.

Bugger.

In the last few hours, he has realised his typically teenage mistake. Time is not always on your side, especially when it is most needed. The simple homework from year one is not necessarily the same as year two!

Bugger.

Swiss laid in the sun only the other day thinking about the MCT's that he had to do. (Multiple Choice Tests) Oh how easy they are. 4 answers, ABC or D, and only one of them even remotely likely. The last MCT that Swiss did was to do with Health and Safety on a Building Site. (Long story) Typical question:

You are walking across the site, and notice a Polish electrician drilling a hole in a wall. It is raining and he is using an electric drill. Do you:

A - Run for shelter because its raining.
B - Lend him your drill because its faster.
C - Offer him a cup of tea.
D - Tell him to stop because the rain will short circuit the drill and cause an electric shock.

Admittedly, Swiss failed the test, due mainly to his pride in his new Black and Decker Power Blaster Twin Speed Hammer Drill, and he picked B!

But MCT's are simple aren't they?

As he laid in the sun, he pondered the mock MCT he had done last term at CofL. Not to imply that they are really really simple, but here was a typical question:

See the picture of the fire engine. Choose a colour from your crayons and colour it in. Match the colour to the coloured boxes below and choose the one that you think closely matches the big RED fire engine. If your RED crayon is broken, put your hand up and ask the teacher for a new RED crayon.

A - Red
B - Green
C - Blue
D - Yellow

But, something has gone badly wrong with Swiss's plans. Either CofL have been making iot all seem too easy, or he has been given an MCT test from BPP.

Bugger.

Each question starts off with a full page story about some scumbag drug dealing villian that has burgled, stolen, escaped, been chased, caught, charged and is facing trial. Swiss has an hour to do the test, but each goddamn story takes twenty minutes to read and understand.

The question is then something horribly complicated relating to some practice direction, law, rule, or procedure.

The four options are each ten paragraphs long. It takes five minutes to read each answer. It then takes a further five minutes to spot the difference between each one.

Bugger.

After 12 hours of studious contemplation, Swiss has decided that he has two choices. Either tick all the boxes with A, B, C, D alternating through, and making quite a snazzy pattern on the marking sheet, or complain that his paper must be wrong because it came from BPP.

Bugger

3 comments:

Barmaid said...

MCT revision is awful, so much to remember.

Anonymous said...

Poor Swiz,

MCT advice - it is ALL in the MUST and the MAY. If you know which is which you have this MCT lark in the bag!!!

Good luck with it!

Minx said...

My Dear Swizzles,

I was, fortunately never subjected at my provider to the rigours of MCT'S in a formally assessed setting, but, for revision purposes, I did find ' Test Yourself in Evidence/Civil Procedure/Criminal Procedure/Sentencing ' as set out by City Law School, a most valuable tome, and would strongly suggest its purchase, if you havent already got a copy. However grindingly dull and repetitive the task, I think that practice at these things makes ( relatively) perfect; there will always, on occiasion, be a small element of guesswork, and no one is ever completely flawless, but I do believe, with refined technique, it is possible to do very well indeed. I am therefore completely confident that you will be, this time next year a very competent and fully paid up/called member of the bar!!