# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/81 "2010-11-19T00:01:41Z")
Yes, I’ve had this dream. The last time was probably about four years ago, at least the last time I remember having it. I graduated from college in 1979, so . . . that’s a long time to be having that dream. But the dream’s not really just about taking a test, you know? And mine are usually that I’m prepared for the test, but I’m late and running around campus and can’t find the classroom and get there just as everyone’s finishing, or never get there at all. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/82 "2010-11-19T00:16:08Z")
I’m 40 and I still get the “I forgot I enrolled in this class with a test today” dream. Then, I wake up and realize I’m a lawyer and no longer in school. However, that means I now get the “I forgot I took on that client/case with a trial today” dream. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/83 "2010-11-19T00:45:26Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > I’ve never had that dream, but I was never very concerned about taking tests. Nor was I which may be why I don’t have the test dream. However, I have the assignment dream where I have to have an essay in and haven’t done any work on it. I always hated assignments. It’s probably the most persistent dream also: I wake up and really have to grab my consciousness by the arm and say to it very firmly that I’m 43 and haven’t taken any kind of course requiring an assignment for about 20 years and even then it takes a while for me to believe myself. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/84 "2010-11-19T00:53:17Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I’m 44, and I still have the dream. I also have similar dreams, like: > > - Per **PeskiPiksi**. enrolling for a class, forgetting to attend, and only remembering it long after drop-add or close to the end of the semester. > > - Per **Procrustus** , being in my last semester of school, and not having taken a prerequisite that I need to graduate. > > - Being sent back to high school, college or grad school because I didn’t take some prerequisite class, and my diploma is now invalid without it. > > - Completely forgetting my schedule a couple of weeks after the start of the semester, and struggling to get a copy from the registrar. I’m 42, and I have every one of these. The high school class I didn’t pass is always US Government, and I have the opportunity to go back and pass it so I can save all my other degrees, but I am failing anyway because I am struggling to get out of bed early enough in the morning to attend the class. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/85 "2010-11-19T02:18:55Z")
I had that dream recently, and I’m 47. A few days ago, I also had one that Revenue Canada had suddenly assessed me $2500, and I had no way to pay… :eek: > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Mine definitely isn’t a wandering dream–it’s more sitting in class dreading that our teacher will ask me to play. But it’s always the same every time. The larger context of the dream might be different. The classroom might be different. But it’s the same feeling that captures just what it was like in school. And even though the homework variation isn’t THAT scary (more like, "Crap, I should have done that)–this one’s pretty scary. Interesting. I’ve come to the same conclusion as well–that many recurring dreams are replays of the same _emotional_ environments, with the scenery filled in on the fly, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/86 "2010-11-19T02:29:52Z")
I can pretty much divide my life into the “test dream” phase, and the “incoming dream” phase (incoming meaning rockets/mortars, etc. headed here - to use **sunspace** ’s words, ‘on the fly’). ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/87 "2010-11-19T05:33:12Z")
47 and still have the test dream now and then. Also frequently combined with the inappropriately naked dream: I have to take the test, and not only have forgotten to prepare, but have also forgotten to get dressed. I’m not all that modest, so it kind of seems like I am usually happy that walking around with my junk hanging out is helping to distract from how ill prepared I am. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/88 "2010-11-19T09:05:12Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Funny, that explains why I _don’t_ have the naked in school dream. Whoa whoa whoa. Story? 😃 I’ve actually never had the test dream. I guess I never really worried about tests much. I do have the flying dream (actually, floating dream, more like - I float within arm’s reach of the ground and have to paddle myself forward), and the teeth falling out dream (VERY vivid. Like I’m chewing on a mouth of ice chips and I realise they’re actually my teeth falling out NARGH)quite often though. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/89 "2010-11-19T12:10:13Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Whoa whoa whoa. Story? 😃 Well, a bit of a stretch, really. I was never actually nude in high school or even college classes but I did do a bit of naked sketch modeling while I was in college. So, mostly you can chalk that post up to me being a bit cute… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/90 "2010-11-19T12:14:06Z")
47, although I haven’t had it for at least 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/91 "2010-11-19T14:54:33Z")
I’m 28, and if I had the test dream, it’s only been once or twice. The variation that I still get is the one where I forgot to go to a class all semester, just before graduation. The other one is the dream where it’s my first day at a new school. That was always sort of a stressful day for me. Once I had a twist on the school dream where I somehow ended up trapped in my six year old body, and in my first grade classroom. I spent the whole time trying to convince the teacher that I was not a small child, and shouldn’t have to go through over a decade of schooling again. ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/92 "2010-11-19T15:53:22Z")
> [@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’m 34…still have that dream occasionally. Hate it. I have had that SAME dream recently and I’m 40! I’ve been out of school since 1992. ---
**Author:** ![Morgis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Morgis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgis)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/93 "2010-11-19T21:03:44Z")
I never had the test dream much, but I still get the dream where it’s the first day of school and I wander the hallways for hours because I can’t find my locker or the room where my first class is supposed to be. Sometimes I find my locker but I can’t remember the combination, and sometimes I find my classroom only to find that it took me so long that it’s now 2nd period and I have to start the search all over. It’s been over 10 years since I was in high school. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/94 "2010-11-19T22:18:54Z")
I can’t remember the last time I had the “Test Dream”, but I had a “Back In School Dream” about two weeks ago. I dreamed I was back in kindergarten (and was the size/age I am now … 48 years old) and had to stuff myself into the tiny desk. I dreamed I had to pee, so I extricated myself from the desk and went. As I was in the bathroom, I realized that I probably needed to ask the teacher’s permission for getting up and leaving class, even though I was nearly 50. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/95 "2010-11-19T23:19:53Z")
It’s been a while since I’ve had it - probably a year. But I doubt that the last time was THE LAST TIME. I’m 37, haven’t been in school since 1993. ETA : I should add, it’s most often the scenario of me not being able to find the room in which the test is given. I KNOW it should be around the corner, but then… it’s not! AAARRRGGGGHHH!! Joe ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/96 "2010-11-20T02:45:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > \ > > 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. > \ I have that one, too, and it’s usually something like dialling a number, or trying to turn on or off a light or turn off my alarm. It is terribly frustrating. Almost 44, and I still have the school anxiety dreams on occasion. I’ve supplemented them with husband anxiety dreams now, too - dreaming that I didn’t meet him, or we met but he went and dated someone else, or something else that ended up with us not being together. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/97 "2010-11-20T04:43:51Z")
I’m 43, and I still occasionally have the dream. I usually dream that I have not attended 5 or 6 classes, and there is a big exam the next day. I have a feeling this dream will never go away. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/98 "2010-11-20T04:59:30Z")
Just last night, I had the overseas-trip-plane-leaving-in-an-hour, I’m-not packed-yet dream. Again. Of course, in my case this happens in real life too. gah. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/99 "2010-11-20T07:23:06Z")
My most common test dream involves not having gone to class _and_ not being able to find the class since I never went. I don’t ever get to the point where taking the test is an issue because I never even find the classroom! I have the naked in public dream too, but it’s not a nightmare. I’m bodyshy in real life, but in my dreams I have no problem wandering around mostly naked or changing in the middle of a bunch of people. Weird, that. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707/100 "2010-11-20T07:39:06Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I’ve had the nightmare of suddenly realizing that I registered for a course and then forgot about it and it’s now halfway through the semester. This was several years after my last degree. This is the one. And I haven’t been in classes for over 20 years. I used to have the teeth falling out dream a lot too, but over the last few years I’ve had to have a lot of dental work done and haven’t dreamed about teeth at all. Odd. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-having-the-test-dream/560707.md?page=6)