Placement Test

So today we had our placement test at the CUEF (Centre Universitaire d'Etudes Françaises) to determine what classes we started out in for the semester. Now if there is any test you shouldn't have to study for, it's a placement test because you want to score based on what you know instead of how much you can memorize and regurgitate. So I didn't really do any preparation because I didn't want to place in a level too high for me and wasn't really nervous about the test; I wanted to do well but didn't want to place inappropriately. Well we got to the test, and it was hard. I expected the listening to be hard, which it certainly was, but thought the writing/reading part would be easier, which it really wasn't. After that slaughter, I was glad to be done when I found out, much to my dismay, that we still had the oral testing to do; pronunciation and speaking are my weakest points, and I was already discouraged about the rest of the test. If that weren't bad enough, I had brought the wrong form and didn't have my necessary paperwork. Luckily I was able to call Anna, one of our beloved API Grenoble staff, to get my passport number and could bring the pictures for my student ID by later, so it all worked out. The oral testing was terrible, let's be honest, and the lady kept looking at me like I was an idiot (especially after I accidentally used the Spanish word for family instead of the French). HOWEVER, we got our scores back and apparently I'm in A 2.9, which is the highest level of beginner; I'm also the 3rd highest in my group, even though I felt like almost everyone was ahead of me. I personally feel like I guessed lucky and that maybe the interviewer took mercy on me, but I guess I'll see how it goes when I get to class tomorrow. We can switch out of our level if we feel after a week that it isn't appropriate, but I'm hoping I'll surprise both myself and probably everyone else and actually belong in this class.