Studies have shown that nutrition plays an important role in achieving good test scores. The advice "eat a good breakfast" is often drummed into students facing standardized tests. School districts trying to boost their test scores could consider altering their lunch menus for more nutritious fare to help their students perform well on tests. According the National Bureau of Economic Research, “School districts that increased calories on test days experienced increases in 5th grade pass rates of 11, 6 and 6 percent respectively on the mathematics, English, and history/social studies tests.”
While it is common for students to experience pre-test anxiety, few journal about their test-taking blues. Testing anxiety can paralyze students even when they are familiar with information being tested. But, according to Brain Based Learning, studies have shown that “writing about testing worries prior to taking the exam boosts exam performance in the classroom.”
Chewing gum is a harmless habit that doesn’t cause health issues of tabacco, alcohol or other habits. But, who knew that chewing gum has additional benefits like increased test scores. According to Education News, “a 2002 study published in “Appetite” showed chewing gum appeared to improve people’s ability to learn, retain and retrieve information.” An informal survey done by Cornell students showed an interesting correlation between test scores of students who chewed gum and who didn’t. The results showed that out of 591 students, those who reported chewing gum during the exam received a mean score of 90; students who chewed the whole pack of gum before the exam reported a mean score of 86; while those who chewed no gum at all reported a mean score of 60.”
While it may be old fashioned, sometimes simply increasing study time will help students to increase their scores. Sometimes, students don’t have the necessary study skills to do well on exams. Learning effective study methods and implementing them on a regular basis can help increase test scores.