Did you suddenly decide, a week before your exam, that a “superfood” diet would help your mental sharpness? Did you drink more coffee on the morning of your GRE than you normally would in a week? Did you start an exhausting new exercise regimen 10 days before your test because you wanted to improve your stamina?

Implementing healthy changes in your normal routine, such as eating a more vitamin-rich diet, going to bed and waking up earlier, taking yoga classes, or making sure to drink eight glasses of water a day, can produce physical and mental benefits that could boost your test-day performance. The point is to implement those changes gradually, over time.

Big, last-minute changes in your daily routine can have a significant effect on your GRE score. For instance, if you typically go for a run outdoors a few times a week, there is no reason to stop doing so in the weeks leading up to your exam. In fact, you may find yourself feeling more stressed and less energetic if you do. And if your friend who already took the GRE shares his recipe for the kale-wheatgrass-bee pollen smoothie that was his exam-day breakfast, do your stomach a favor and don’t try it for the first time on the morning of your GRE.

Sleep patterns, diet, hydration, and physical activity can all play a role in how you feel when you walk into the test center, so last-minute experiments involving routines that are radically different from what you’re used to are ill-advised.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep