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Effects of ME/CFS on mathematical ability

So I did an aptitude test 2 days ago for mature aged students university entry, which was supposed to test my verbal and quantitative reasoning skills. Although I managed to answer most of the verbal reasoning questions with minimal difficulty, I found it particularly challenging to understand many of the quantitative reasoning question, especially those regarding spatial relations and patterns. This is an area I never had trouble with prior to developing CFS/ME. It's as if the part of my brain that processes mathematical relationships has been damaged. I could not see the relevance of some parts of information to the questions asked, no matter how hard I tried to understand the relationship. This left most of the quantitative reasoning questions unanswered and has likely halved what my score would have otherwise been. It is unlikely I'll be accepted into uni, and it is very emotionally challenging to deal with the fact that my mental faculties have deteriorated so profoundly over the past few years. I feel very isolated, inept and vulnerable.

Comments

I am so sorry angee. You are not alone. I also have these problems, and didn't have them before. And you are not inept! This wretched disease causes some deficits/difficulties-not the same thing.
 
Sending you a hug angee. Not inept, even with your deficiencies. And, me, too. :-(
 
One other thought, angee. If you can take the test again, you could ask for accommodation, which would likely be more time for the quantitative sections. You would probably need to have the disability certified in some way (I'm not sure where you are) but for most of us, the issue is one that can be dealt with if given enough time to complete the problems. The research shows it just takes us longer to process than usual, something like ADHD perhaps--again, this is not ineptitude, but a processing problem that can be accommodated and worked around. Removing time pressure can help the confusion a lot.
In case it helps!
Vasha
 
Thank you so much guys for the reassuring comments! @vasha I actually did ask for more time, about 40 minutes extra. However, as I had just caught a cold the day before and was unable to sleep properly.. I was feeling twice as exhausted as usual. After 2 hours, I could not concentrate anymore. I went home and passed out for the rest of the day. I think it may be a good idea I didn't manage to get into uni at this time anyway, I would probably be falling asleep during lectures or tutes! If I am lucky, the verbal scores will be enough but if not I can just try again for next year :)
 

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