Language Exam Take #2

Yesterday was my second attempt at the B1 language exam that I need in order to apply for Czech citizenship.  Last time I failed the listening comprehension portion of the exam, by 3 questions, I had to retake the entire exam again.  

I was up in the air about when I would try to retake it.  Do I give myself a few more months to really focus on listening communication while prolonging the agony of having to face the exam again in the future?  Or do I try to take it again right  away?  In the end I decided to take it as soon as I could.  

Due to COVID-19 there were no Saturday exams so I had to take a day off from work to sit for the exam on a Friday.  Fortunately, this time I could take the exam in Brno at Masaryk University.  The language exam cost 3.700 Kč ($170).

The exam format was the same as last time but with different questions.  First came the reading comprehension test followed by the dreaded listening comprehension test.  The listening portion was unnecessarily complicated.  It's more of a test of how much you can remember in a short period of time than an actual listening comprehension test but what can you do?  

Then came the written exam.  The main essay I chose was on whether men make better bosses than women.  Following the written exam, I had a two-hour break before I had to take the speaking test.  The individual speaking test was easy and for the role play I was partnered with a Russian girl and we had to plan some elective education for our colleagues.  

I was finished with everything by 17:30 but I was completely drained.  Fortunately some of the fellas were meeting up at Honza's place to grill out and have a few drinks.  The timing could not have been more perfect.  Now I just have to wait another 30 days to get my exam results.  

Overall I feel better this time than I did last time.  Maybe because I had a better idea of what to expect.  I still feel nervous about the listening portion.  I hope that this section doesn't cause me to fail the entire exam again.  Fingers crossed!

Update:  I passed!