» auteur: Teresa Bolen

What can you do right before a big test – let’s say starting the day before a big test -- to get the best possible exam results? Even if you are already a great test-taker you’re probably looking for that extra edge to create the best possible scores on your exams.

Here are ten things you can do to create better results on your exams.

The Day Before –

1. Review Key Points -- Notice the word Review -- The day before your test is less than ideal to be first learning something. Hopefully you have already mastered the material, and it is just a matter of giving that material an extra polish. 2. Eat Well-balanced Meals -- Remember the phrase, You are what you eat? Be sure to keep your body and your brain in peak condition by feeding it the nutrients it needs to perform at its best.

3. Feed Your Ruminator -- Whatever we spend time doing, thinking, and seeing in the 45 minutes before falling asleep is what our brains ruminate on throughout the night. So it’s to your advantage to feed it -- the things you want to remember for the next day’s exam.

4. Envisioning Your Success -- Just before you drift off to sleep, create a picture of yourself successfully completing your exam. It’s most effective if you do it every night, but even one day before your exam could make a significant difference in creating better exam results.

5. Get A Good Night’s Sleep -- You need your 7-8 hours of quality sleep to perform at your best.

The Day Of --

6. Eat Your Breakfast -- Keep your body, mind and blood sugar in balance.

7. Do Light Exercise -- Light exercise will help you feel good and energized, and help get more oxygen to your brain.

8. Do A Light Review -- Glance through your exam preparation materials one more time, and do any last minute checks you feel you need.

9. Keep the Exam in Perspective – It’s just a test, not the end of life on this planet. Allow yourself to relax and let your worries go.

10. Breathe -- A lot of students tense up, and forget to breathe, or take shallow breaths. Be sure to breathe deeply from the diaphragm. This will help your muscles feel better and will help to clear your head and allow you to think better.

So the next time you are facing a big exam, follow these tips and create great exam results!

Copyright 2006 by Teresa Bolen. All Rights Reserved.

Teresa Bolen is a teacher at Todaiji Academy, one of the top 5 schools in Japan, and the author of Master Plan to Master Exams: How to Discover Your Hidden Abilities to Create the Success You Desire. You can get her ‘Academic Excellence Report’ at http://www.MasterPlanToMasterExams.com

‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.’ -- Henry David Thoreau --