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An unprepared student asked his doctor for help getting out of taking an exam. What suggestion did the doctor make?

Doctor: How are you doing?
Patient: Not so great. I have a test in a couple days and I'm not prepared at all!
Doctor: Just be sure to wear a mask.
Patient: It's required. Say, I don't suppose you could write me a note saying that I'm too sick?
Doctor: Are you sick?
Patient: No.
Doctor: Then no. However, there's another option. I can't promise it will work, though.

In fact, the doctor's plan was successful and the student was able to reschedule their exam. The student's test-avoidance strategy eventually reached quite a few people. Some professors even shared the story with their own students, encouraging them to give it a try.

Edit: I'm seeing a lot of almost-fitting suggestions. Adding the below hint to make it easier to avoid almost-fitting solutions:

Hint 1/3:

Contrary to what the conversation implies, the doctor in this story has no interest in helping the student avoid taking the exam. Thus, the doctor will not go out of their way to help the student avoid their exam.

Hint 2/3:

Continuing from hint 1: While helping the student avoid taking an exam is not one of the doctor's goals, the doctor does have professional goals. One of those goals has a chance of allowing the student to reschedule their exam, albeit only as a side effect.

Hint 3/3:

What might a doctor do to a healthy patient which has a possibility, but not a guarantee, of preventing the patient from attending class? As a reminder, the title describes this as a routine doctor's visit.

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  • $\begingroup$ There are several possibilities. One appropriate for this time is to simply call the Prof and tell him that you are waiting for your Covid Test results. In US it is taking up to a week to get results. This will result in a re schedule. I know people who have re scheduled their flights this way $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Nov 19, 2020 at 23:45
  • $\begingroup$ DrD: If you're suggesting that the student is waiting on a Covid test result, I don't think that completely fits the story line. At the very least, I don't think it fits as well as my intended solution. $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 19, 2020 at 23:49
  • $\begingroup$ Based on the new hints, it looks like the answer you're looking for is that (gur qbpgbe fhttrfgrq gung gur cngvrag pbzrf sbe n frpbaq ivfvg ng gur gvzr bs gur rknz, be znlor gurl nyernql unq na nccbvagzrag jvgu gur qbpgbe ng gung qngr naq gvzr). I'm not sure why a professor would encourage their students to do so though. Unless you mean that they encouraged them to ask for a reschedule if (nyernql unq n qbpgbe nccbvagzrag fpurqhyrq). $\endgroup$
    – 41686d6564
    Nov 20, 2020 at 22:20
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    $\begingroup$ "SE discourages interaction on closed questions" I would love a quote on that because this is the first time I hear about this (unless it's something specific to Puzzling). Anyway, if what I mentioned above is the answer you're looking for, then I do agree with the close reason. This really seems like a "guess what's in my head" kind of puzzle as others have said. $\endgroup$
    – 41686d6564
    Nov 20, 2020 at 22:44
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    $\begingroup$ rot13(Trggvat n syh fubg? Vg unf n fznyy punapr gb pnhfr fvqr rssrpgf fhpu nf srire, juvpu jbhyq yrnq gb n erfpurqhyr. Naq vg jbhyq or erpbzzraqrq ol cebsrffbef.) $\endgroup$
    – wimi
    Nov 22, 2020 at 19:50

4 Answers 4

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On a wild long shot...

Eat less than an hour before the exam?

Hear me out...

It was a scuba diving exam, which would absolutely require the use of a mask. Certain forms of illness (particularly the flu and ear infections) can prevent you from scuba diving, but as the patient was not actually sick, the doctor couldn't produce a note to that effect.

However...

There is the "old wives' tale" that you shouldn't go swimming within an hour after eating food, so perhaps the doctor suggested that the patient eat less than an hour before the exam, and then tell the examiner they would be unable to swim?

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  • $\begingroup$ This doesn't fit the final sentence in the puzzle. $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:02
  • $\begingroup$ @Brian There is nothing tricky about the final sentence. It is so generic, anything can fit it. $\endgroup$
    – risky mysteries
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:17
  • $\begingroup$ A professor will not encourage students to try out an excuse without good reason. I suppose you could interpret "encouraging them to try it" as "encourage the students to try it, with the implication that it will never work for future students." However, I did not intend the suggestion to be read as being sarcastic or facetious. $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:21
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    $\begingroup$ Which means we're ultimately heading towards a question of "under what circumstances would a professor encourage their students to avoid an exam which requires a mask, that a doctor would have no interest in, but ultimately provide?". I don't wish to take away from the puzzle or its intent, but it feels to me like it's steering dangerously close to the "guess what I'm thinking" realm $\endgroup$
    – Dmihawk
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:59
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    $\begingroup$ @Dmihawk: Yeah, no. I'll be interested to see whether you decide the actual answer is clever or dumb/unfair. To be honest, I was half-expecting someone to figure it out within 20 minutes. This puzzle is harder than I thought :/ $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 20, 2020 at 2:38
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Let me guess the 'exam' is a medical examination so the doctor could just ask the clinic/hospital to reschedule it.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ That's actually a really clever guess, though it's wrong. Grfg/rknz chaf are not part of this puzzle. Also, I don't feel like that solution completely fits the storyline I presented. $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 19, 2020 at 23:37
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My answer:

The doctor did nothing.

Explanation:

The student can call the professor and say:
"I went to see a doctor, but the doctor had no interest in helping me."

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  • $\begingroup$ While it's possible (though unlikely) that a professor would share this story with their students, I don't think this is an excuse that they would encourage their students to try. $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:29
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The patient said:

"It's required." when instructed by the doctor to wear a mask.

So, maybe...

..the patient had something that prevented them from wearing a mask (perhaps because they were unprepared, they would be too nervous and wouldn't be able to breathe well through a mask) and since they can't attend the exam without one, the exam was rescheduled.

My second guess:

The only other solution I can think of is...

..that the doctor suggested that the patient/student should be honest with their professor by telling them that they're not prepared and asking them to reschedule their exam to give them a chance to study more.

I can see a professor encouraging their students to do so.

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  • $\begingroup$ How does this involve a suggestion being made by a doctor? $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:01
  • $\begingroup$ @Brian The doctor knows that if you are [ROT13: gbb areibhf, lbh pbhyq unir qvssvphygl oernguvat juvyr jrnevat n znfx] so they write that in their report. $\endgroup$
    – 41686d6564
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:09
  • $\begingroup$ It's a stretch. Also, I really don't think any professors would encourage their students to try this excuse. $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 20, 2020 at 1:16
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    $\begingroup$ Your second guess is also wrong, though you're right that it's a solution that professors would encourage. Mind you, in some sense it's an anti-solution, since it assumes that much of the puzzle's information is irrelevant. $\endgroup$
    – Brian
    Nov 20, 2020 at 3:51
  • $\begingroup$ I'm relieved that it's wrong because I would not have liked it if it was the correct one for the very reason you just mentioned. Can't think of anything else for now though. $\endgroup$
    – 41686d6564
    Nov 20, 2020 at 3:56

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