Weird Dilemma: Advice Desired

[debka_notion]

I have a rather odd and embarassing dilemma- I seem to have done too well for myself on the Talmud placement test. I.e. from my test (and maybe from other factors? If I know that, I'd know a bit more about how trustworthy this placement is), they want to put me in Talmud 4. This year I was in mechina talmud- and I rather expected to make it to at least Talmud 2, and more likely Talmud 3, which seemed more reasonable. The thing is, the piece of tosafot on the placement exam was well, easier than the piece of gemara itself, so while I've done very little tosafot, I probably did pretty well on that section of the placement test. So I imagine I could spend the first part of the summer finding someone to do a little bit of tutoring me in gemara and tosafot and relevant skills, and make a stab at 4 next year. Or I could be more reasonable and go for 3. Or I could put in some work over the summer, try 4, and swap to 3 if it seems over my head- which, from what a few folks mentioned about the course this year, I'm rather sure it would be, especially if its the same teacher: but I have no idea about that. So- how unrealistic do I feel like being? Maybe this at least means that someday I'll manage to be competent at Talmud though...

(Also oddly, a classmate mentioned that he didn't think most people took Talmud 4. This seems odd, as many folks skip Talmud 1 from mechina, let alone folks with prior experience with Talmud, at least from what I've seen/heard, and you need at least 3 years of Talmud in rabbinical school...)

Comments

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

Everyone else presumably took the same exam, right? So if you did well on an easy exam and they want to put you in 4, and you go for 3, you'll be in with people who did badly on an easy exam. So go for 4. You're too modest, that's your problem.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Only parts were easy- parts were pretty darn hard, and I didn't think I really quite got it. It was just the end that was easy.

[chinchillama.livejournal.com]

well, if parts were hard and you still placed higher than they think you are ready for 4, like nuqotw said, that's what these exams are for!

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

Even so. You did comparably to other people whom they also want to put in 4. It's far too easy for nice sweet people like you to convince themselves that they aren't really very good at things; consider this a feminist kick up the ass. I don't know your Talmud abilities from a hole in the wall, but if your teachers think you can handle 4, take 4 and don't try to convince yourself you aren't really as good as they think you are. 'K???? :)