# When did you stop having the "test dream"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 15, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707 "2010-11-15T05:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/61 "2010-11-15T21:00:06Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Your body was prepping you so you could participate in this thread! Well, I think it’s more that I did take a big test. My dream was that it turned out that I had gone and taken the _wrong_ test. Eek! ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/62 "2010-11-15T21:50:59Z")
I completed my one year of grad school 22 years ago and I \*still \*have the test dream. I also still have the one where I suddenly realize that I signed up for a class, it’s several weeks into the term, and I haven’t attended a single lecture, done any of the reading, or started to work on the term paper/project. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/63 "2010-11-15T22:22:20Z")
I’m another one whose version of the dream is getting to the end of the semester, realizing I haven’t been to class ever, and it’s exam day. Sometimes I have the variation of not even knowing which classes I’m in and I’m frantically trying to find the registrar’s office to see if there’s anything I can do. But I’ve never bothered to learn where that is either. I’m 44 and haven’t had a test since grad school 20 years ago. I’ve always been damned glad to wake up from that dream–even when I haven’t been all that thrilled with my job or situation in life. Whatever it was, it was better than that dream! ---
**Author:** ![Floppy\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@Floppy\_Joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floppy_Joe)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/64 "2010-11-16T18:24:21Z")
Okay, I’ve had the “unprepared for school” dreams, the naked dreams (but I don’t seem to be very concerned about it), and the “unprepared for meeting” dreams. But there’s one that still has me waking in a sweat… I’m 53, and two or three times a year I’ll have the dream where I’m back in USMC boot camp. I can remember that I re-enlisted for this, too. Suddenly, I come to the realization that I had a great job, a wife that loves me, and other good stuff, and can’t remember why I gave all that up to be back in the Corps. The only relief is in waking up to find I haven’t given any of it up. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/65 "2010-11-16T21:09:19Z")
I’m 55 and I still have the test dream on occasion ---- with a twist, I haven’t been to classes and don’t know where they are because I’m a grown-up and have a full-time job !! For the most part the test dream has been replaced by a grown-up variation … I know I’m supposed to get on a plane and go somewhere very important but I don’t know when the flight leaves or where it leaves from or where it is going and I haven’t packed and I have no way to get to the airport and I can find the itinerary and can’t boot my computer to look it up, etc etc etc. I have this one a lot a few times a week at least. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/66 "2010-11-16T21:26:15Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > I’ve had this dream, only for me it’s that I’ve forgotten to go to class all semester, just remembered that I’m enrolled, and the final is today! I’ve had this one, but not for a decade or more. In my dream it was a math class, so there wasn’t a chance in hell I could fake my way through the test. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/67 "2010-11-16T21:38:14Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > For the most part the test dream has been replaced by a grown-up variation … I know I’m supposed to get on a plane and go somewhere very important but I don’t know when the flight leaves or where it leaves from or where it is going and I haven’t packed and I have no way to get to the airport and I can find the itinerary and can’t boot my computer to look it up, etc etc etc. I have a variant of this about once a year, too: I’ve taken a trip somewhere and I am preparing to go home, but I have no information about the flight home, such as what day or time it is or the airlines, and can’t find my tickets. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/68 "2010-11-18T11:11:31Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I don’t know when the flight leaves or where it leaves from or where it is going and I haven’t packed and I have no way to get to the airport and I can find the itinerary and can’t boot my computer to look it up, etc etc etc. > > I have this one a lot a few times a week at least. Top of my leaderboard too. A simple task just cannot be achieved no matter what, usually under time pressure. Often it’s getting ready for work - it’s 3 PM and you still haven’t managed to button your shirt properly. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/69 "2010-11-18T15:05:09Z")
I’m 41 and as recently as in the last year I’ve had the “I’m back at school and just realized I haven’t been going to class all semester” dream. I’m not sure it ever stops. I also have the occasional “showering/using the toilet in front of people” dream. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/70 "2010-11-18T15:10:58Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I’m 41 and as recently as in the last year I’ve had the “I’m back at school and just realized I haven’t been going to class all semester” dream. I’m not sure it ever stops. This is EXACTLY what I came to say, except that I’m 40–but was in grad school as recently as 7.5 years ago, if that’s relevant. One spin on my version is that it’s almost always a science class that I’ve been skipping: organic chemistry, calculus, something like that. I majored in history and didn’t take anything like that. Perhaps this is my subconscious telling me that I’ve failed. ETA: I just saw John T’s similiar post. Damn, what is it about this dream? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/71 "2010-11-18T15:11:21Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I used to have the dream about waking up without clothes on at school and it was pretty terrifying. After it happened to me in real life, that dream stopped for good after that. Come again? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/72 "2010-11-18T19:32:39Z")
> [@davekhps](#): > > What’s fascinating to me-- and obviously to the other posters on this thread-- is how common this dream is. I don’t know if I ever met anyone who DOESN’T experience this dream, or a variation on it. I guess that school-age discipline and anxiety really does a number imprinting itself on our malleable young psyches… RealityChuck has indicated in this thread that he doesn’t have this type of dream. I don’t either–in fact, as best I can recall, I don’t have _any_ of the typical anxiety dreams. No “unprepared for test” dreams, “naked at school” dreams, or even falling dreams. I do have nightmares at times, but not this kind. Out of 230 responses I [tallied](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8239274&postcount=109) in an earlier [thread about the most common bad dreams on the Dope](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=406763), 30 of them (13%) were in the “unprepared for exam” category–the most common response by a substantial margin, followed by “teeth falling out”. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/73 "2010-11-18T19:45:30Z")
I guess I’m one of the few who has never had this dream (that I can recall). Frankly, I have a hard time recalling any of my dreams in detail. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/74 "2010-11-18T20:16:20Z")
1. Still have dreams where I missed a bunch of school and can’t even find or remember the classes/location. If a test is involved, it’s just worse. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/75 "2010-11-18T20:20:02Z")
Here is my favorite movie reference to the nightmare/dream referenced in the OP. Must see! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0g7VoRQPswg/hqdefault.jpg "Top Secret (1984) Nick Rivers is back in school") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g7VoRQPswg) ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/76 "2010-11-18T20:36:51Z")
My ‘test dream’ is usually more of a ‘oops, I forgot I had that class, maybe I should have gone to it all semester and goodie the final is tomorrow’ dream. Though, I did that with nearly all of my electives in university so it is even more believable. However, I usually remember that I have already graduated at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/77 "2010-11-18T20:39:25Z")
I’ve certainly had the test dream, but I can’t remember the last time. It seems like years. I’m 48. Recently my dreams of frustration involve one of two things: 1. I’m trying to complete a menial task, like dialing a phone number, an important phone number, and I keep getting it wrong. 555-121_3_. Crap! 555-_2_. Crap! 555-12_2_. Crap! 555-121_1_. Crap! This is always in front of other people who are growing more and more impatient with my total bumbling idiot self. 2. I’m playing golf. I’m trying to tee off, but cannot find a suitable spot. Every time I place the ball, there’s either something blocking my back swing, my follow through, or my view of the green. Again, in front of a group of impatient and upset golfers. Man, my dreams are weird… ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/78 "2010-11-18T20:56:31Z")
Never had the test dream. I ace tests, and I can’t recall ever studying, other than reading the material. I had the naked in school dream often, until I spent a few weekends at nudist holidays… Last time was as a teen, I am 36 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/79 "2010-11-18T21:00:49Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > Though, I did that with nearly all of my electives in university so it is even more believable. This. I blew off enough classes that totally forgetting a class is somewhat believable. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/80 "2010-11-18T21:43:48Z")
I just had the “test dream” a couple of nights ago and I’m 63. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707.md?page=5)