Top Tips for a Great Test

The 11+ (or any other test) is around the corner. You’ve studied hard, downloaded the practice papers, and maybe even had a tutor or lessons at school, targeting your learning.  These tips will give you the edge on exam day!

Hydration! Hydration! Hydration!

A wet brain is a brain that works! Forget brain-boosting vitamins, the key to exam success could be as simple as a glass of water.

With exam season upon us, concentration and motivation may be all but used up, but it’s important to stay hydrated.  Water helps to increase concentration and improve memory. It also reduces the risk of cramps and tiredness, as well as provides extra energy.

It is important to encourage young people to drink plenty of water especially during exam time when they can often be tired from studying.  Even slight dehydration can cause feelings of tiredness and reduced alertness, which will affect a child's interest in being active, therefore impacting on their overall wellbeing. We should all be aiming for 6-8 glasses of water a day and this is especially important in the run up to the test. Water is essential to everyone’s health- so let’s make sure we are drinking plenty of it!

Know when to Stop!

Whilst drinking plenty of water is vital, remember to stop drinking at about 6pm to give your bladder the chance to empty before bed. Your beautifully hydrated brain won’t thank you if you have been up all-night, peeing like a racehorse.

The same goes for during the actual test. Be careful how much water you drink on the morning of the test. It is very difficult to concentrate when you are thinking about the loo. Being nervous about asking a strange teacher in an exam environment is intimidating too. Not to mention the reduced exam time if you do have to go out.

Dress Comfortably!

I know the temptation is to dress up for the occasion, but it really isn’t the time for fashion forward. Dress for comfort. Its not easy to think when tour jeans button is digging into your belly, or your shoes are pinching your feet. Wear loose, comfy clothes and cut off any bothersome labels and twiddly bits.

Think about the temperature!

I have been saying this for years – Girls work better when they are warm, boys think better when they are cold. I believe this stems from when men were hunter/gather folk and women raised children together from the cosiness of a cave. Many of my past students thought this was “woo-woo!” (but dressed accordingly for the test just to humour me!) Now, there are more and more articles which seem to be coming around to my way of thinking.

Read - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/23/womens-brains-work-better-in-warmer-offices-study-finds

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7060035/New-research-suggests-females-perform-better-men-warm-temperatures.html

So girls, think tights, Oodies, cosy socks, cardi’s, joggy bottoms…Boys, think t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, footy kits…

You are what you eat!

Following on from the paragraph above, there are certain schools of thought that think humans, especially men, concentrate better when they are hungry. While I am not suggesting for one moment that you starve your little boys before the test, most of the boys I have sent into their exams protein loaded, report the test was easier. This doesn’t seem to work for girls who report thinking better after carby foods such as milky, sweet, porridge and Croissants or pastries.

Again, if we think about our prehistoric ancestors, it seems to fit that the hunter/gatherer men would be hungrier and most likely to be eating meat from fresh kills, and the women would be eating farmed carby veg until the men brought home the bacon.

Again, there has been some research into this… https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/magazine/10section1C.t-1.html

https://www.maharishiayurveda.uk/blog/can-hunger-increase-your-brain-power/#:~:text=Fasting%20can%20often%20result%20in,is%20empty%20%E2%80%93%20can%20enhance%20cognition.

So, don’t eat too much before the test. Boys should aim for sausage, bacon, eggs, beans. Girls should favour, porridge, pastries, pancakes, toast and cereals.

Get good quality sleep!

Sleep is vital for concentration and wellbeing. Its important not only that you get to bed early, but also that your body is ready to get the best sleep possible when there. Eat a light meal that your body can digest easily.

Stop drinking in time to empty your bladder before bed.

No ‘blue light’ for at least an hour before you plan on going to bed – This includes TV and phones as well as computer games and tablets.

Have a nice bath; slip into clean sheets; read for 20 minutes!

Remember, you’ve got this!

Don’t take the exam too seriously! Remember, you have worked hard for this and done the preparation. This is one test. There has never been a person refused their place in University or on the apprenticeship of their choice because they didn’t pass their 11+ or do great in their Year 6 SATS.

Schools need kids and this test is designed to be passed. Go in and showcase yourself - do your best. You are enough!