Using Provision as a Tactic?

[Werewolf]

Hi,

I have two ten minute break sessions (medical / thoracic spine injury + scapular nerve something injury) during each 3/4 exam I do and I was wondering when I should use it in business management? With all my business management SACS I have done throughout the year, within the first 5 minutes I always get the throbbing, stabbing pain in my back but I usually write through the pain and regret it for 2-3 days afterwards. If I were to try and explain the spot I feel the pain, you run your finger along your neck down your spine along 5-6 of the ball lumps, move 2-3 centimetres to the left and always in that spot when I handwrite due to the required position, within the first ten minutes of handwriting (being generous, usually lest) there is this completely unnecessary, painful pain that when I stop everything to close my eyes and think about it, I can feel it tingling - as it is only a problematic factor when I handwrite, my physiotherapist asked VCAA if I could use a laptop with less time if necessary to keep it as an even playing field with no breaks but they declined it when the long-term injury was thought to only be a thoracic spine injury and it did not effect my ability to handwrite. As my handwriting always turns out to be absolutely atrocious every exam and SAC and that is the only time I feel pain, I have a feeling it is interconnected somehow with my shoulder blade or scapular with nerve damage or something which I'm going to have reviewed by the doc and try and reapply due to the nature of my exams next year, but it is doubtful. 

With my exam however as it is 2 hours long, I am allowed to notify the VCAA assessor went I want a break, and I must take the whole 10 minute break, who is in a room with me and a few other guys and gals who have provision such as computers and laptops. She will then take note of the beginning second I take the break in which I have to leave the room under supervision to get a drink or take a ibuprofen or just stretch my back, and then I must continue writing the exact same second 10 minutes later in regards to her watch I'm guessing.

The question I am basically asking is, should I try and use this to gain a  competitive edge (teehee) in some way or another? Should I try and push through as much pain as I can for the entire first hour and a 15-20 minutes which would result in atrocious handwriting, do as many question as I can until the last 10 marker question and take my first break then to think about the question as it really is my weak point, what the question is asking, what links I have to make, how I am going to structure it and how I am going to answer it whilst I have the question imbedded in my memory? Sit down and try answer it and then take another 10 minute break to rest the pain from my back when I've hopefully finished the entire exam with 10-15 minutes to go, come back and quickly analyse everything I've written and see if I can fix or add anything to make the answers of more quality.

I'm really having a dilemma on this. For business SACS throughout the year I am allowed to have a 10 minute break which all my friends are envious of as I could do anything I want, whether it be just have a rest, think about a question that I failed to have any recollection of the stimulus around, go do some Pilates or whatever, but I've never actually used it as I've always felt, even if I didn't know a question, that taking a break would completely destroy my train of thoughts.


This question is way longer than it has to be, but I guess the two options I have are;

• Take the break whenever I feel pain in my back as to have better handwriting, feel comfortable and not suffer the consequences of being an idiot pushing through the pain, or;
• Use the time to my advantage to think about the exam.

I thought it was an easy question. I've done one practice exam both ways and with the latter, I didn't even use the time to think about the question as my back was in so much pain but with the first one I just took a 10 minute break under timed conditions whenever it needed to be, thought about the current question I was on the whole time which I could have answered and just got straight back into writing.

FML. This seemed like a useless post.

[Frozone]

The question I am basically asking is, should I try and use this to gain a  competitive edge (teehee) in some way or another? Should I try and push through as much pain as I can for the entire first hour and a 15-20 minutes which would result in atrocious handwriting, do as many question as I can until the last 10 marker question and take my first break then to think about the question as it really is my weak point, what the question is asking, what links I have to make, how I am going to structure it and how I am going to answer it whilst I have the question imbedded in my memory? Sit down and try answer it and then take another 10 minute break to rest the pain from my back when I've hopefully finished the entire exam with 10-15 minutes to go, come back and quickly analyse everything I've written and see if I can fix or add anything to make the answers of more quality.

If the pain is unbearable then you will just have to take a break. But if i was in your situation I'd probably work up untill the 10 marker. Like you said it is your weak point and counts to 15% of the exam.

FML. This seemed like a useless post.

This post was not useless.

[Werewolf]

If the pain is unbearable then you will just have to take a break. But if i was in your situation I'd probably work up untill the 10 marker. Like you said it is your weak point and counts to 15% of the exam.



This post was not useless.

Thank you for the reply.

For the past 3-4 hours in which I have meant to be learning all the aspects of an 'organisation you have studied this year' in which we didn't learn, I've been googling a fair bit. The reason I was rejected from using a computer as a provision was that a thoracic spin long-term (more than a year and won't fully heal ever) injury did not effect arm movement, thus did not effect my capabilities to right. With the exact painful spot that I have tried to identify, the closest I could come to find was the scapula which is the shoulder blade which creates the ability to move your hands. The only thing is that it is on my left side and I am right handed, but still absolutely kills when writing due to the position.

Oh well, hopefully my doctor blasts at VCAA again. Thanks. I'm going to do a few practice exams with both and see what is best Just wanted to get a POV form someone.