Red ink
Most questions give you all the time you need. Some do not. A few questions are printed in red ink, and when you start reading one, the question itself begins to disappear. The letters blur. Words become harder to make out. Eventually, the sentence stops making sense. Whatever you managed to understand before that happens is what you have to work with. Take too long, and you may find yourself answering a question you can no longer read. Red questions also put an eraser at stake, so there is more than one reason to keep moving.
The chalkboard
There is a chalkboard at the front of Room 44. You can look up at it whenever you want. On most forms, it is exactly what you would expect. On harder forms, it may not be. Something might appear on the board that was not there before. An instruction might be written again and again until it fills the entire thing, growing larger toward the edges. It is probably worth paying attention. The examination has a way of remembering things you thought were unimportant.
Add it to your wishlist
PENCILS DOWN is out September 4. Thanks for reading. See you in Room 44.