Sometimes the simplest, smallest study tricks make the biggest difference. They can boost your confidence, improve your focus, and dissipate your exam anxiety. They can even open your eyes to a new method of organization that will boost your academics for years to come. Today, we share our favorite unexpected lifehacks to improve your test scores. Enjoy! Raise your GRE, GMAT, SAT, and TOEFL scores with Magoosh Online Prep! Learn more at magoosh.com

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Exam Lifehacks:
18 Unexpected Tips
for a Higher Score
presents:
Try out these simple tips and tricks to give yourself an edge
on test day! When added to good, old-fashioned studying,
a higher score. Good luck and happy studying, from Magoosh!
How much time do you have left before the big test?
Music is Instrumental Distraction Apps
Get a Sugar Rush
The Seinfeld X Technique Light Exercise
The key here is timing and intensity.
Light-intensity exercise while studying
has proven to help most with retention and
recall. Look into these workouts to com-
bine with your book learnin’:
· treadmill
· stationary bike
· chair squats
· abdominal lifts
· trapezius squeeze
· bicep curls
Eat Protein
Your brain communicates with itself with
the help of amino acids, which come from
the protein in your diet. Eating a breakfast
full of protein will increase alertness and
reduce levels of ghrelin (a hunger stimulat-
ing hormone).
Bacon
Eggs
Oatmeal
Cottage cheese
1 slice
1 egg
1 cup
½ cup
Oatmeal + milk ½ cup milk
4-5g
proteinquantityfood
6g
6g
16g
10g
By now, everybody has probably told you
to sleep well. That’s great advice.
Sleeping increases alertness and reduces
stress. It also improves mood, memory,
and cognitive function. Get your eight
hours!
Sleep on It
It’s every student’s nightmare: somehow
your 7:00 a.m. alarm changes to p.m., leav-
ing you to snooze through one of the most
important tests of your life. Thankfully, this
can be easily avoided.
Backup 1: multiple phone alarms
Backup 2: external alarm clock
Get AlarmedDon’t Bother Cramming
The last thing you should do is try to cram
a bunch of studying in at the last minute.
You’ll do better if you’re rested, alert, and
confident.
You can try a few quick practice problems
the morning of the test, but that’s it!
Let your brain rest!
Pay less and score higher.Sources
http://beatrixapp.com/blog/50-amazing-lifehacks-for-productivity.html
http://mashable.com/2012/01/03/block-internet-distractions-apps/
http://huntingtonhelps.com/resource/prep-for-acing-sat/#.U3qLDPRdXAY
http://magoosh.com/sat/2014/10-things-that-are-ruining-your-sat-practice/
http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro05/web2/mmcgovern.html
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/how-exercise-can-help-us-learn/
http://www.wired.com/2011/11/the-cognitive-benefits-of-chewing-gum/
http://magoosh.com/sat/2014/twenty-ways-to-destroy-stress-for-the-stress-destroyed/
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0046362 Online Test Prep
Make a Checklist
Preparing all of your necessary items
beforehand is a good insurance policy
against the unexpected.
Test center address
Clothes
#2 pencils
Calculator
Watch
Snacks
If you have one month left:
Come up with your own answer before
reading your choices.
Guessing won’t guard against wrong
answers, but it will help you speed up your
process.
Predict the Future
If you have one day left:
During the test:
Sit & Stand Up Straight
12345
Watch Cute Videos
Images of adorable animals can improve
your ability to focus. They make tasks
seem more approachable and make view-
ers more attentive.
In a recent Japanese study, participants who
viewed cute images improved their abilities
to perform fine motor dexterity-based
tasks.
For maximum cuteness, search for:
· “Sneezing baby panda”
· “Scottie pinwheel”
· “Hamster eating a tiny burrito”
Before you enter the the test room, start
writing. Jot down anything that comes to
mind. This will keep information fresh, and
clear mental clutter.
Do a Brain Dump Chew Gum
Gum can act as a mild stimulant. Studies
have shown that chewing gum improves
accuracy and reaction time.
Anything from Big League Chew to Orbit
should do the trick—flavoring and sugar
content don’t matter.
Pomodoro Technique
2525
Change of Scenery
In an experiment led by cognitive psycholo-
gist Robert Bjork, college students who
reviewed vocabulary in two different
rooms recalled 20% more words.
Warning: avoid comfortable
furniture! Beds, couches, and
bean bag chairs are your
enemies—you will get sleepy
and distracted.
!
Breathe Deeply
Stand confidently as long as you can before
your test. When you sit down, take up
space. A recent study at Harvard Business
School indicated that how you sit or stand
can drastically affect your confidence.
More confidence = less test anxiety
Avoid chocolate! Fat will pre-
vent the glucose boost.
Bite-sized candies are best.
Eat small servings to avoid a
crash.
s
The brain runs off glucose. Eat something
with sugar content for a glucose
jump-start during your breaks.
SelfControl: blocks specific web-
sites for up to 24 hours
Cold Turkey: blocks specific web-
sites at scheduled times
Freedom: prevents you from
using the internet at all$
Consider any one of these restriction apps
to regulate your social media intake:
Turn on your headphones to make all that
time spent sitting still a little more pleasant.
Stay away from anything that you can sing
along to—every word you hear is a mental
distraction. Try genres like:
· instumental hip-hop
· videogame soundtracks
· movie scores
· deep house
· downtempo
· post rock
· ambient
· classical
Work for 25 minutes without interruption
and then take 5 to relax.
Each 25-minute period = one “pomodoro”.
(Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. The creator
originally used a tomato shaped timer.)
For every 4 pomodoros, take a 15-minute
break. This breaks down the daunting task
of studying into approachable chunks.
exhale
(8-12 seconds)
inhale
(3-5 seconds)
Relax your mind by switching to long,
slow, deep breaths. This tip works due to
deep breathing’s connection to the para-
sympathetic nervous system, which scientists
call the “relaxation response”.
The average person draws 15 breaths a
minute. In order to engage the PSNS, try
to get down to 6 breaths a minute.
Jerry Seinfeld used to force himself to write
jokes on a daily basis using these tools:
a wall calendar and a big red marker.
6 7 8 9 10
Each day that you do your task of study-
ing, put an X over that date. The motiva-
tion to keep that chain of Xs going will help
build a study habit. Don’t break the chain!
Warning: Recycle your
paper once you’re done!
Some exam centers won’t
let you review in the room.
!