Imagine standing at the starting line of a race alongside tens of thousands of other people. Everyone has trained in slightly different events, but they'll still be ranked against each other at the finish line.
For the past 13 years, the participants have been in a marathon; but over about four weeks, it becomes a sprint that many have come to believe matters above all else.
It's a daunting prospect, but this is precisely what Australian students faced as they sat down for their first year 12 exams last month.
