Pass

The memory of failing examination didn't come to me out of the blue. Have I mentioned I failed the driving test two months ago? And I will never forget the frustration of failing the clinical examination for the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP).

Students, of course, are unhappy about failing to pass an examination, though it is nothing new. Over the years, we have been going through the ordeal of worrying "Did I pass?" or "Will I pass?" Obviously there are few occasions in which I didn't pass. At such moments I asked myself one very helpful question: "What are the examination results or those tick boxes on the score sheet really about?" (Not just "What are the examination results about?") Love the word "Pass" though I do, I've learned to live with the word "Fail" at times. Who says that a good doctor has to get the membership qualification in the first attempt? One consolation for those of you who have failed in the MRCP is that quite a number of distinguished physicians had shared the same experience with you.

Fast-forward to my second attempt of driving test this morning (drumroll please). I passed. Yet I dare not call myself a competent driver.

So don't be deluded that our self-esteem depends solely on the two words "Pass" or "Fail." In one way or another.