It is no news thst the situation of Nigeria today has caused a lot of setbacks in all systems in the nation. Students all over the state are currently on the receiving end of the aftermath; especislly MBBS students whose workload in preparation for their professional exams is overwhelming

Due to the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the consequent social unrest in our environment, the usual time table for the exams in various schools were postponed to an earlier date. The Covid-19 pandemic caused the loss of one academic year and most universities are working hard to get the calender back to normal by recovering the lost time. Well, this spells extra work and stress for both students and lecturers alike. On the other hand, the students are the only ones on the receiving end because they're thr ones to sit exams whether they were taught or not.

It is no news that professional exams are one of the toughest exams one can write. It can be likened to a degree exam in those days or WASSCE. This is because it comprises questions from two academic years. Generally, medical school is known for enormous workloads and stressful activities.

This is the situation of every student sitting their 2nd MBBS examinations in the University of Nigeria Nsukka currently. We currently concluded our alternative to practical exams last week and we're to sit a mock examination comprising over 100 questions from two academic sessions from Tuesday. The exam is to be written back to back with no spacing, thus Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology respectively. This is not an easy feat at all and no one is finding it funny currently.

Normally, the 2nd MBBS exam should come next year in March, but the school has a target of covering up for the lost year due to the pandemic. Coupled with the series of sit-at-homes being enacted recently, external invigilators, who are key personnel in the conduction of the exam have complained that they cannot embark on interstate travel in the upcoming festive period in December and as such, the exam has to come earlier. Everything should be concluded by December 10th and the results released.

The news came as a shock to many during our practical sessions in school. The information was released and there was pandemonium in everyone's heart; it was quite sudden and people weren't so ready yet. Given that we hadn't gone far in our 3rd semester works, we thought it would come later next year. Now, we have to triple our efforts in order to succeed since it is on a fail and fail out basis.

It is a do-or-die affair for all MBBS exam students in UNN currently. People have resorted to spending extra hours in night classes within the school premises, while others burn the midnight candle in their respective homes. Since the exam will always remain standard no matter the condition, students ought to know everything required of them. I mean, there's no excuse because we are future medics and it is human lives we're being trained to handle in future. Currently, no one can comfortably finish the scheme of work for the exam. We just study and hope that we are doing the right thing because questions can come from anywhere.

We're all humans. We tend to forget when we study but hopefully, our efforts will pay off and we'll succeed in flying colours. The situation of the nation has put a lot of pressure on students. People have withdrawn, others stepped down to lower classes, the rest continues to push forward with no break or vacation ever since the post-pandemic session began. All for one brain and one body to handle the daily stress of the average medical student.