Food
Does food matter when preparing for an exam?
Yes!
Sleeping a lot the night before is all you need to do well
T/F Studying is only helpful within 48 hours of the exam.
False, studying should take place days-weeks in advanced, depending on the amount of material and difficulty.
You should start with the easy material and then the hard
NO! If you start with the easy material, you will be more likely to stop studying, become bored, or uninterested and never reach the hard material
What kind of food do you need to eat while studying?
coffee and green tea
berries and nuts
fish (salmon and tuna,etc)
citrus smoothies
eggs, avocado
If you normally go to bed at midnight, and stay awake till 2am, will you get good sleep?
No, anyone know why?
Reading the lectures notes is all that is needed
false
You only need to look at the notes during the week
No, the weekend can be a great time to recap the week and understand the material before the new material is addressed in the following week
what type of food should you eat before the exam?
slow digesting grains and protein
Whole-grain cereal with milk, topped with fresh fruits.
Eggs and toast with a side of yogurt
Oatmeal topped with fresh fruit and milk.
Pulling an all-nighter is worth it
No, because your body needs sleep to retain information
What? I can learn while I sleep??
you shouldn't review the material right before the exam as it will confuse you
False, also look at the material on exam day to refresh your memory
Group work can be distracting and make studying go slower. T/F
False, this is not necessarily true. Group work can often keep people accountable, make them focus more, and want to prove they know the material to other students. You can also work on teaching the material in groups which is the most effective way of studying.
Water is not that important, only sleep and food
False
Keeping hydrated is super important in a functioning brain.
T/F Staying up super late to study for an exam is bad and will make you do worse on an exam.
yes and no
Why no?
Cramming is okay and if you really want to, you will remember enough of the material.
False, there will be something you miss, get mixed up, or completing forget.
How can we not cram?
You can still focus if the space around you is unorganized and messy.
Only if you are built different. Otherwise, we will constantly be distracted and fidgeting with the stuff around us. If you are in your room, clean up a bit and get random stuff away from you so you are tempted to mindlessly play and get distracted.
Water will wake you up more than coffee.
True! Now, you may need a coffee to keep you going through the day, but water will wake you up quicker in the morning so don't skip your water before your exam! Then go grab the coffee
T/F Creating a memory occurs in three stages
Acquisition is when you actually encounter and attempt to learn new information, while consolidation is the neurological process of incorporating the information into a memory. The crucial consolidation step appears to happen when we are sleeping. During this time, our brain creates the neurological connections that enable us to retain the information. When consolidation happens shortly after acquisition, recall is improved.
False, getting in a routine of when you study actually makes you more productive and able to focus better.
There should also be a goal when you study, therefore you can measure your productivity and if you are studying efficiently.
You should study the easy stuff in the morning and the hard stuff later in the day. T/F
False, get the hard material learned early in the day, so if you become tired in the evening then it doesn't take as much to focus on the hard topics, leaving you frustrated and overwhelmed.