One of my children is taking a standardized test on Saturday and in preparation, I thought I’d research what factors influence performance. Given the test is in two days, I’m concentrating on what I’ll classify as incidentals, such as sleep, food, and frame of mind. Vocabulary building or improving his quantitative math skills are probably unrealistic on such short order, but any factor that could help him score on the high end of his “probable performance range” is welcome.In late October, mykidsupport.com
linked to an article in the
Wall Street Journal on test-taking strategies. First among those strategies is repeated test-taking. “Testing yourself repeatedly before an exam teaches the brain to retrieve and apply knowledge from memory, “ reports the
October 26, 2011 article. Given the short-time before his test, testing himself “repeatedly” is probably not an option for my son at this late date. Maybe a few short few sections tonight but otherwise, we’ll save that approach for next time.Of course, we wouldn’t want the practice tests to get in the way of his sleep. It’s well documented that an all-nighter prior to an exam actually has a negative impact on performance – he won’t be doing that. What is not mentioned in the
Wall Street Journal article is the cumulative effect of a good night’s sleep on performance. In a
USA Today article from a few years ago, a graduate researcher at Stanford looked at sleep’s effect on athletic performance, working with six basketball players who all ran faster and made more shots over a period in which they slept an average of 10 hours a night. Many also suggest that a good night’s sleep two nights prior to a test is more important than the night prior.
Peterson’s study guide recommends: “If you don't sleep well the night before the test, don't worry about it! It is more important to sleep well two and three nights before. You should still have the energy you need to perform at your best.” While it is hard to find evidence to support this view, the importance of the 2-night prior sleep is also widely stressed in endurance sports, such as running. Even with the lack of research to back that view, my son is going to bed early tonight and tomorrow. I’m also going to hope he feels well rested from the week prior; this
New York Times article points out that eight hours sleep every night is beneficial for most everyone.Also important is diet. The
Wall Street Journal article recommends a high-carb, high-fiber, slow-digesting foods like oatmeal for breakfast. But it also touts the benefits of a balanced diet including fruit and vegetables the week prior. Maybe I shouldn’t have fed him fried chicken and french fries last night. Who would have thought?Of course, finding ways to ease anxiety and allay stress is important, as is being able to visualize success. But should none of these factors help my son garner a good score, he may get lucky and benefit from something completely unexpected and out of his control. A
study in
Psychologocial Science in 2009 found that a crowded room on test-taking day lowered scores. Come test day, maybe he’ll be only one of a few in the room.And failing all that, I could just measure his fingers and throw it to fate. A
report in
Live Science says: “Kids with longer ring fingers compared to index fingers are likely to have higher math scores than literacy or verbal scores on the college entrance exam, while children with the reverse finger-length ratio are likely to have higher reading and writing, or verbal, scores versus math scores.” Holds true for me, how about you?December 8, 2011
Author Elizabeth Wilcox is founder of mykidsupport.com, author of "The Mom Economy" (Berkley, 2003) and a longtime journalist focused on parenting, children and women's issues.
