[seanohue]

Anyone have know stuff I can do to make my brain work better, even for just 5 hours? I have the SAT saturday and I MUST get a 1800 (up from a 1680) and I need at least 600 on math (up from 560). I'm goin with the usual myths like fish oils, essential fatty acids, lots of sleep, and a eating before I go (which I didnt do last time). The past 2 nights though I've been doin practice math tests. Last night I ended up with a 540 and tonight I only got 480. So whatever I can do to improve my intelligence let me know.

This new SAT sucks, I remember doing problems out of a book from the old SAT style tests and I would probably have a 1400 on the old. Why couldn't I have been born in 87?

 

[MuZI]

Nothing will raise your intelligence but there are things to help your focus and alertness a bit.

I've tried S.N.S Focus XT w/ 1.5g of Alcar a day. It helps with memory... worth a shot...

 

[feh1325]

i'm taking my SAT for the first time on saturday

i also signed up for the november test.

 

[skudmunky]

I'm going to retake the SAT this spring, I took it last year (during my junior year.) I got a 600 in math, and I'm hoping to bring it up higher this time. I ended up with a 1280 on the old scale, and I'm shooting for around 700 in both math and reading. when I took it I had a horrible cold, made it a heckuvalot harder to concentrate.


good luck!

 

[AlanY]

With these standardized tests, the most important thing to do is get a good night's sleep the night before the test. Don't take any mystery supplements that you've never taken before, don't have a cup of tea or coffee late in the evening just so you can get a few more hours of studying in. You'll likely have trouble getting to sleep and it will cost you.

 

[feh1325]

also, bring some food so you can eat during breaks.

i'm bringing my asian yogurt things and passion fruit green tea because they remind me of someone special

 

[MrSlacker]

I am taking SATs 2nd and last time this Saturday. What I always do is just get crapload of sleep and have your favorite breakfast food that morning. It will make you feel great and help you concentrate better.

 

[Computerpro3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanY With these standardized tests, the most important thing to do is get a good night's sleep the night before the test. Don't take any mystery supplements that you've never taken before, don't have a cup of tea or coffee late in the evening just so you can get a few more hours of studying in. You'll likely have trouble getting to sleep and it will cost you.

Bingo. DO NOT STRESS OUT. I never took any classes or anything and walked in not really worrying about it. My GPA isn't spectacular (3.01) yet I nailed a 1440 old scale and 2070 new - and that's with a writing score wayyy below normal. My math was so-so (640) but my reading (800) helped make up for it. Writing was dissapointing for me - it's usually my strong suite but I only scored 630. I was going to retake it but it doesn't really matter because I'm hoping to go to college for piano anyway....

The biggest thing is remember that whatever happens you'll be laughing in ten years. Whether you're laughing at how bad you did or how much you worried for nothing, the important thing is that you're still alive and laughing. It's not the be-all end-all - it's just a stupid, made up, completely BS test.

 

[GreatDane]

L-Tyrosine is an essential amino acid important for the neurotransmitters: dopamine, norephrine, adrenalin and epinephrine.


Because L-tyrosine is a precursor of Dopamine, L-tyrosine can heighten mental alertness, act as a mood elevator, and offset mental fatigue.

I often use it before weight lifting.

 

[plainsong]

LOL, before a big test, I'd asked mom to ask a friend of the family who's a therapist of there were any little brain tricks to get the mind going, other than the obvious puzzles and Omega 13 and all that.

She suggested two things, firstly, reading music, and secondly, do things in a different order in your daily routine. For instance when you're taking a shower, change the order around. Little things like that can make the brain fire a bit better. It's seemed to work for me, but my brain could be lying to me.

I took the SAT's once after coming back late from a band competition, and without studying got 1200 or so. The math was my weak point. I know that score isn't strong enough for a lot of the schools the members here go to, but it was good enough for my first choice. The annoying thing is that I could have done better, but it wasn't a test I wanted to repeat.

Good luck, and don't over medicate in an attempt to be smarter, just exercise it a bit.

 

[Azure]

I've heard so many things that you should do when you have test, like making sure to get 8-9 hours of sleep, eating breakfast, etc., but I've yet to notice a difference from all of this. I've concluded that none of this makes a difference, at least not for me based on my high school years. I noticed that I tend to score the same if I get 8 hours of sleep or 5 hours of sleep. I also normally don't eat breakfast; if I do eat breakfast on the day that I have a test it usually has no positive effect on me (Sometimes can cause some cramping or something). However, when it's major tests like AP exams or SATs, I still make sure to get 8 hours of sleep just in case. Other than that, I don't do anything else and I've been doing okay so far (I've only taken the SATs once and I got a 2100 by only taking 2 practice tests to study; I'm taking 2 subject tests this Saturday).

 

[pne]

i agree with sleep! i once had 2 finals in a day, and i decided to pull an all nighter to cram as much information in as possible. I regretted it. While I had learned all the information, it was in jumbles in my head and i had trouble thinking clearly. I would look at a question and know the answer, but could not pull it out of my memory. I was even hallucinating at one point and felt extremely depressed with the whole test, I lost the drive to do well. I didn't even care if I failed it as long as I could go home and sleep..

breakfast is good but also bring snacks. Basically you just want your brain to have as little distractions as possible during the test. This includes hunger, having to go to the bathroom, tiredness, etc.

 

[feh1325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plainsong I took the SAT's once after coming back late from a band competition

i have to do pep band music in the stands and do the field show for homecoming game the night before the test....grrrr

 

[plainsong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feh1325 i have to do pep band music in the stands and do the field show for homecoming game the night before the test....grrrr

I remember the moment when a bunch of us realized we'd signed up for the day after we were going out-of-state for a competition. Go there, do the show twice, come back at 2am... ugh.

Well, at least I was too tired to be nervous.

 

[seanohue]

Well, I guess I'll just have to hope for the best then. Thanks for the help