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Exam day - what do you do? I take a ring my grandfather gave me to the exam. It's a reminder of his affection and gives me a sense of security and calms my nerves. My brother makes a fuss about wearing his green underwear.
He's not alone in placing his hopes in a garment. One in three students admitted to wearing 'good luck underwear' to try to boost exam chances, according to a poll for pen makers, Bic.
The same poll suggested that 60% of students change their diet before a test in the hope that it can increase their brain power and memory – oily fish and fruit and vegetables are at the top of the list. This is good as long as you don't stuff your face with junk food all year long and decide to go healthy just for the exam.
Making the extra effort to succeed is good but if you haven't put in the hours of study, nothing will help you. Patrick Wilson, former teacher and founder of a private tuition firm, says: "The best way to feel truly confident and help beat that stomach-churning exam angst is to prepare for each exam in advance, making sure you have a dedicated structure for your revision schedule."
Wilson helped to create a guide for avoiding the last-minute jitters. It advises the revision timetable to start up to ten weeks before the exam, dividing learning into chunks. Don't overload yourself. Students should also give themselves regular rewards and breaks during revision. People learn things in different ways and this should be taken into account. I learn better by reading things out loud. Some colleagues believe colour-coordinating notes according to subject can produce good results too.
But there's a consensus against spending the night before the exam studying. If you don't get enough sleep, not even good luck underwear will help you pass the test.
词汇表
to calm my nerves 镇定我紧张的神经
to make a fuss 大惊小怪，大做文章
to boost 提升
brain power 脑力，智力
memory 记忆力
to stuff your face 胡吃海塞
stomach-churning 令人反胃的
angst 焦虑，担心
revision 复习
jitters （考试前的）焦虑，紧张
overload 使超载，超负担太重
rewards 小奖励
colour-coordinating （根据不同课程）色彩协调的课堂笔记
consensus 共识，一致