Set your story during exam season, when tensions run high and a minor incident sends your protagonist into a panic spiral.

Posted in Character on Nov 3, 2023

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✍️ 30 stories

“Drawing a Blank” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #223

I am freaking out. How can I explain this? I’m in a full-blown It's a Wonderful Life scenario here but in reverse. I’m not seeing what the world would look like if I had never been born—I’m seeing the world where I was born—but the joke’s on me.You know, like when a guy walks up to you and addresses you by name and you’ve got no idea who he is. Now, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, right. Say, Who are you again? and you’ve offended the guy. Greet him like an old buddy and he’s going to expect you to comment on your shared pas...

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“Facing the Music” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #223

My bones hurt as I drag myself inside. It’s been a long day. Some people make snide remarks, ‘Oh, you’re a teacher? It must be nice to get all those holidays!’ and other such comments. I say, just try it. You go ahead and do what I do for a day, cramming a syllabus into the heads of the unwilling, while dealing with their issues and quirks, then see if you want to come back and do it again. I’m buggered at the end of each day, emotionally drained to the point that I really can’t ‘adult’ anymore.I kick my shoes off, leaving them where they fa...

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“The Gingerbread Man ” by June Gillam

Submitted to Contest #223

Dr. Candice Burke knew better than to stay late after teaching her evening classes. Especially one on the fourth floor like tonight’s English 140, Intro to Children’s Lit. Still, her car was parked right next to the old Humanities building, police officers patrolled the campus, and she was a quick study on the three flights of stairs, priding herself on her athletic prowess, even now that she’d turned forty. It was one of her favorite times of the fall semester. Midterms. The students were at their best, aiming to earn max points and ma...

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“You Don’t Know Jack” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #223

TW: PTSD, swearing.Jack Dancer wept for his sins. Magnetised boots held him to the outer hull of the PD Anathema. Thanks to his efforts the deadly vacuum of space had raced into the ship with a bang.In his space suit he was safe until his oxygen ran out, waiting for his ship. The Fairweather returned at full speed. He waited for five hours. Lost in guilt, Jack hardly noticed. He clutched his toolbox to his chest.“You there, Jack?” said Captain Eliza Erdman using the radio.He took a long time to respond. “I’m here,” he replied. He half wished...

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“Energy Drinks” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #223

Bobby peered into the fridge resting atop the small desk in his room when a scream echoed from across the hall. He knew not to question the scream because there would always be another one. That’s how it was in Quirk Hall. The screams that came from room 34 you learned to live with. Since there were no more energy drinks in the fridge, he checked the closet, behind the bed, and under the desk. The anger and frustration and headaches worsened every second he couldn...

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“No Need to PANIC - Oh Really?” by Thomas Moon

Submitted to Contest #223

NO NEED TO PANIC – OH REALLY? In the fall of 1972, Greg Monson arrived on the campus of Indiana University. (The week before, he had received a letter giving him instructions on where and when to meet.) The meeting began with each of the nine new candidates introducing themselves. Followed by: “The entrance exam shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes to complete... As you know, the exam consists of questions: English/Vocabulary, Mathematics and History-Geography. You’re on your own...there will be no proctor...we o...

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“bitter, cold coffee ” by Firdaus Raunaq

Submitted to Contest #223

There was a pounding ache in the back of her head, ringing in her ears, and burning in her eyes. She ran her shaky hands through her messy, short hair and glared at the text book pages in front of her. Frustrated tears blurred her vision as she tried to take notes for her final philosophy paper. No one told her there would be so many essays. No one warned her how hard it would be. After all, she never had anyone; she was always alone. Angrily, she swiped her fingers under her eyes, clearing away the wet drops that were dripping out of her ti...

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“A survivor of exam week” by Gail Ormsby

Submitted to Contest #223

Exam season was in full swing, and the air was tense. At the university, Students everywhere were spending most of their time hunched over books and laptops, cramming for their upcoming tests. Which often lasts from a week to 2 weeks, depending on how many subjects they took. Anya was no exception. She had been studying for weeks, but she still felt like she didn't know enough. To pass this chemistry test, she worried over every test, even the tiny quizzes. Anya carried a 4.0, but she always pushed herself so hard. Anya always studied until ...

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“From a Deep Recess” by David Ader

Submitted to Contest #223

The panic erupted his sleep. It was a fire alarm going off in his head, a realization that he’d left a pot of soup boiling on the stove or the bathtub running, and he’d driven hours from home and had no cell service. It was none of those issues, though. It was worse. Joe Boyle realized he’d failed to drop a course and tomorrow was the final exam. It was his last class in his final semester and how on earth was he still in it, how could he have forgotten? He tried to remember what the professor had taught in those first few ...

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“Summa cum Laude” by Phillip Norman

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #223

The clock on the back wall strikes three, and I’m not entirely sure what side of the day we’re on. I’m wrapping up my last ever final paper in a basement computer lab that I favor for its casino-effect. Down here, I can’t quite tell how long I’ve been up for. The din of outdated monitors echoes inside my skull, filling the little crevices in between all the Big Ideas fighting for my attention. If you listen closely for long enough, you can hear the impending twirl of the clock’s second hand. Every twenty minutes or so, the hulking copy machi...

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“Bombing the Exam” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #223

Teddy sat in the university auditorium with his study partner, Suman. They were psyched. Two weeks of studying together for this biology exam made them well prepared. They expected perfect scores. After all they were both ace students. Suman’s parents were both revered academics in India who had been educated in Canada at the university of Toronto and Suman was following in their footsteps. He had always been the top of his class in India and since his arrival in Toronto stood first or second in his class. His competition was Teddy. It seeme...

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“My Celebrity Friend” by Kiyana Marie

Submitted to Contest #223

"He's dead!" "Who's dead?!" Vanessa nearly spits out her coffee. "Matthew Perry!" Vanessa looks at me blankly, her right eyebrow raised in confusion. "Chandler from Friends!" I stomp my foot with my hands out to my side in frustration. "Oh, isn't that the guy you were obsessed with?" "Yes! I was fully convinced I would marry him." Vanessa laughs, "Oh geez, that sucks. Well, our break is up; we need to get back to the library." We walk down the red brick path from the on-campus Starbucks back to the library, ...

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“Hells Bells” by Ray Murphy

Submitted to Contest #223

Todd lifted his head from the crease of a textbook. A blue mullet. I can’t believe I dreamed I had a blue mullet. He shuddered off the idea and thought about the day ahead. That night would be another best night of his life. Fiesta Grande,he thought as he got up and accidentally kicked one of the many Red Bull cans strewn about the floor. The night before had been devoted to studying for his physics exam, after which the greatest party of the year would be held. Fiesta Grande was the best way for everyone to say goodbye until ...

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“Midterm Exam” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #223

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. As long as the exam questions don’t involve the French and Indian War, or anything from like the 1700-1900s, I’m golden. Well here we go… Name: Jennifer Carver (Do we get points for our name? I hope so, and it seems fair to give points here.) Please read the questions carefully and answer completely for full credit. Question 1: Evaluate the extent to which the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War, 1754–1763) marked a turning point in American relations with Great Britain. Further a...

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“War” by John Jeffire

Submitted to Contest #223

War American History. Honkey history. Presidents and generals and captains of industry. All white. All male. Wouldn’t know there was a woman or black or brown or yellow or red person ever set foot on the continent except to pick cotton or stand up for target practice in another glorious military victory. Enslaved our bodies, now trying to enslave our brains. Count on one hand anyone who questions a damn thing in this school. Where our role models? Only black people work here are custodians, secur...

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Set your story during exam season, when tensions run high and a minor incident sends your protagonist into a panic spiral.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 30 stories

“Drawing a Blank” by Jonathan Page

“Facing the Music” by Michelle Oliver

“The Gingerbread Man ” by June Gillam

“You Don’t Know Jack” by Graham Kinross

“Energy Drinks” by Michael Mackenzie

“No Need to PANIC - Oh Really?” by Thomas Moon

“bitter, cold coffee ” by Firdaus Raunaq

“A survivor of exam week” by Gail Ormsby

“From a Deep Recess” by David Ader

“Summa cum Laude” by Phillip Norman

“Bombing the Exam” by Rudy Greene

“My Celebrity Friend” by Kiyana Marie

“Hells Bells” by Ray Murphy

“Midterm Exam” by Nina H

“War” by John Jeffire

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a student discovering a hidden room in a university library.

Write about two rival academics pursuing the same grant.

Write a story in which a jaded academic makes an unexpected, rash decision.

Write about a student reporter uncovering a university scandal.

Contest #223

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

184

Contest entries

84

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: