Everyone knows the basic post-test activities: reading a book, doing homework, drawing, or taking a nap. But, this isn’t the end of the list. Even in the dead, awkward silence after you’ve turned in your test, there’s always something creative that everyone can work on.

One thing everyone can partake in is writing. Bring an empty notebook to tests and do some poetry or creative writing. Write a song or poem about how the test went. For some inspiration, I have written a poem to demonstrate what wonders boredom can create:

I could not best this test

This mind-numbingly boring test

Its questions that had me so stressed

I have now failed, I confess

When you realize that your poetry is a masterpiece, that this is your magnum opus, belt it out to your classmates. Some poems never hurt anyone. If you decide to write a song, some music may be useful to spice it up. If you are musically inclined, buy or make some manuscript paper and compose some music; bring in a guitar and mess around after the test. No one will notice the guitar case until it’s too late.

Another potential activity to do is solve a physical puzzle. You could probably bring in a Rubik’s cube or Megaminx to toil with. Solving these puzzles takes some practice, so print out instructions and put your after-test time to good use. Or, if you can already solve one, increase your speed and accuracy. You could probably sneak in Jenga and play a game with yourself. Scatter the bits of a 1000-piece puzzle across your desk, letting pieces clatter to the floor. Go wild. Nobody minds.

If you happen to have extra pencils, then make a small structure out of them. With the help of some erasers, then maybe a little family could live in the structure. In case you can steal caps from your teacher’s dry-erase markers, then maybe the family has a pet. If you have a water bottle, maybe your water bottle could be a water tower (don’t worry about the water spilling, as if it ruins your test, you pass automatically). If you have a pencil sharpener, maybe the family has a fridge. Let your imagination run wild with office supplies.

Bring a newspaper and read about the local world; not enough people read newspapers nowadays. They can be a useful place to find what’s going on in your community, and if you really get bored, you could draw mustaches on all of the people in the articles and show it to your friends. Don’t worry about distracting them while they’re testing; it’s never a bad time to interrupt someone’s thinking with moustaches. Seriously, it’s never a bad time. Trust me, it’s never a bad time.

Take out your phone and play a loud video game, no one will mind.  They love the annoying music and repetitive noises. Seriously, no one will mind. Trust me, no one will mind.

You definitely know better than your peers, so bring out that red pen and go correct their tests. Walk up to the teacher and grade the finished students’ tests, make sure your grade is the best. You must always be smarter than them. They are fools and you are the smart one. Seriously, you’re the smart one. Trust me, you’re the smart one. 

Take out your laptop and play your friend’s favorite game as they test. Pump up that volume and ensure everyone can hear. Make a chicken farm in Minecraft, or prepare yourself for the release of Doom: Eternal and Animal Crossing next month with some practice gameplay. Make sure they can see how amazing at the game you are. Make sure they can see you having so much fun instead of taking that ridiculous test. You are better than them. Make sure they know it.

Screech. Screech until it’s all you know. Screech until it is all anyone knows. Screech loud. Screech soft. But never stop. No one will mind. Screech. 

The free time after a test can be a great excuse to catch up on all your favorite activities, whether it be screeching, playing video games, or demonstrating your complete superiority over your peers. Just make sure you bring the required materials to cause chaos fun and definitely not interruptions, and you’ll be good to go!