All the students in the preparatory class were unnerved by the
severity of Donovanâs expression, so much so that even Arielle roused groggily upon sensing the
unusual nature of the atmosphere around her.
She thought she ought to look into her own supplementary needs, considering how easily she dozed
off after her arrival.
âIâve stressed prior to the commencement of this examination how important it is. However, Iâve
avoided going into the specifics before as I was wary of how it might affect your frame of mind
going in. Now that the exams are over, itâs time to let all of you in on it,â Donovan explained.
âWhatâs this about, Mr. Baxter?â the student who shared tables with Wendy could not help but ask.
Donovan acknowledged that with a nod before he cut to the chase. âAlthough youâve been told that this
exam is our monthly test, it is, in fact, an exercise for early recruitment
initiated by Maxwell University. There are six places made available to students
from our school, with five of them allotted to the preparatory class and one going to the normal classes.
The principal and I were unanimous that the places should be awarded to the students who come in
ranking in the top five during this round of examinations. Consequently, whoever comes out ahead will
have the opportunity to undertake the admissions test for Maxwell University at the end of the month.â
That drew a collective gasp from the students.
âI would have spent more time doing my revision had I known earlier.â
âMe too. I felt that I havenât been at my best this time.â
âYou canât put it that way. Had Mr. Baxter told us about this before, I might have been so nervous that I
wouldnât be able to concentrate on the papers at all.â
âIt looks like I wonât be getting myself a ticket to Maxwell Universityâs admissions test this time.â
Wendyâs lips curled up wryly when she heard the remarks made amidst those discussions.
As she was the only one in class who received a heads up from
Donovan, it proved that even Donovan himself thought that she was the most outstanding
student with the best character profile.
âAhem!â
Donovan cleared his throat, which had the immediate effect of quieting down the class.
He waited until everyone had settled before he continued, âItâs okay if you didnât manage to
earn any of the slots this time around, as Maxwell University will be giving all of you another
opportunity to try again in the second half of the year. However, that would be an examination
conducted on a worldwide scale. The content that youâll be tested on would
also be much broader, and what Iâll be covering in class will be tailored toward that accordingly. You
donât have to be
too worried as all of you will get a crack at it. For those who managed to receive a slot this time, make
the most of your time to prepare for the upcoming test. Come by my office after school today and get th
e material Iâve specially prepared in advance for you.â
The students then exhaled in unison. Some out of nervousness, some out of lamentation, but most wer
e in anticipation.
Their goal for joining the preparatory class was to
get themselves into Maxwell University, for failure to do so would see them transferred to the normal cl
asses in the coming year.
âAlright, thatâs all
we have for the side topics. Coming up, weâll begin to go over the content of this past paper. So have yo
the ready, all of you,â said Donovan as he went into his lesson proper.
At the same time, Arthur also had the results put up on the bulletin board where it drew the curious gaze
âI heard that the papers for the preparatory class were extremely tough!â
âOf course! They were handpicked from amongst the best, the crème de la crème. But us students from
âNight exams? The hellâs that?â
âDonât you know that Maxwell University will be allotting six advanced places to participate in
their admissions test this time? The normal classes will only be receiving one slot.
If you register now, youâd be able to take part in the exams to compete for that slot in the evening.
âOh, itâs Maxwell University. Iâm majoring in arts, so the admissions to Maxwell University
doesnât really concern us.â
While the students chatted amongst themselves, they began to flock toward the bulletin board as they
were eager to see which were the five lucky enough to be headed for exposure at Maxwell University.