Dear Reader,

The best way to prepare for a test, big or small, or any other stressful life event, is to keep yourself in overall good health. Exercising regularly helps keep the mind alert, reduces fatigue, and facilitates a better night's sleep. Maintaining a balanced diet that includes enough varied sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and carbohydrates will help you out a great deal on the day of your test. In times of stress, our bodies go into overdrive. If your body has a sufficient store of essential nutrients, like iron and calcium, it will be better prepared to help you cope with this physical response to stress. Also, in the event that you do not get enough sleep or proper nutrition right before the test, you'll have already stocked up on the things your body needs to keep you going.

It's important to note that you may want to eat a more protein-rich diet before the test. Your body breaks down protein into its building blocks, amino acids, one of which is tyrosine. The brain uses tyrosine to manufacture dopamine and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters believed to help increase alertness, mental acuity, motivation, and response time to challenges. So, on the day of the test, include more dietary sources of protein in your breakfast, such as non- or low-fat dairy products [i.e., milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, hard cheese (cheddar, American, Swiss, etc.)], eggs, legumes (beans and peas), grains, seeds, and nuts (try spreading some peanut butter on a bagel). Also, avoid eating only carbohydrates for breakfast because they help stimulate the brain to use tryptophan, another amino acid, to produce serotonin, another neurotransmitter; however, unlike dopamine and norepinephrine, serotonin may increase feelings of tiredness and relaxation. Read Serotonin and foods? in Alice's Fitness & Nutrition archives for more information.

In addition, don't forget to drink lots of water. Without proper fluid balance, you may begin to feel like your plants look when you forget to water them! It's important to drink lots of water during the days before the test. You may not want to risk needing to run to the bathroom during the test. However, don't allow yourself to become dehydrated either.

Of course, all the water and healthy food in the world won't help you much if you haven't studied. Don't run out and buy one of those thousand page test prep books two weeks before the test! Begin preparing well in advance of the test date. Come up with a reasonable test preparation schedule. If you always have Sunday mornings free, then set that time aside for study and review. If designing and sticking to a schedule is not your style, you might want to consider taking a class offered at your school, or by one of the test prep companies.

If you can, do a trial run of the exam one day. You can usually find out how the test is conducted -- when it starts and ends, as well as at what time and for how long the breaks are. Use this information to simulate the test day. Time yourself with an alarm clock, or have someone keep time for you. Also check with your school's advising office to see if they offer a mock test.

Before the test, use guided imagery as a means of preparation. See yourself at the testing center -- receiving your test, starting, how you'll be approaching the test. Will you answer the questions in order, or will you do what you're most comfortable with first? Imagine yourself doing that. Visualize what you'll do if you start feeling overwhelmed by the test. Alice almost always benefits from closing her eyes, breathing deeply, holding that deep breath for 10 seconds or so, and telling herself that she is calm and can do this. Perhaps this will work for you, or you might have another quick relaxation technique to try.

A few other tips from a seasoned test taker:

• Orient yourself -- find out exactly where the test is given (location and room), and how long it will take you to get there; do a trial run if you're unfamiliar with the roads and area.
• Try to get a good night's sleep the night before.
• Avoid foods you know will make you feel sluggish, bloated, or otherwise not like a million bucks, the day before and the morning of the test.
• Definitely eat breakfast, with a little protein, on the day of the test.
• If you're a coffee drinker, keep your coffee intake to a minimum.
• If the test goes all day, eat lunch (but not so much that you'll feel like napping rather than testing in the afternoon).

Good luck!

Alice

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