Test Day Superstitions

[rmaj79]

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Given the nature of the recent neurotic premed thread... Im sure some of yall have strange test day traditions/superstitions.

Before every Intro Genetics test, I had to have a #2 breakfast burrito from Sonic while wearing my Periodic Table shirt (bought for me as a joke in HS). During the MCAT I had to wear my yellow socks that I wore during all my practice FL's. Before every ochem test if I didn't listen to "Hey Ma" by Cam'ron (don't ask) I KNEW I would fail.

Theres gotta be some worse than mine...

 

[armybound]

In the week or two before the exam I try to learn everything I'm supposed to know.

Then I show up to the test.

That typically works pretty well for me.

 

[justinbaily]

I use the same type of pencil for every exam and I get upset if I can't sit in my normal seat.

I like your MCAT superstition. I wore the same khaki pants and yellow shirt for every full length AMCAS test I took, and wore the outfit for the actual test as well. If something's going really well, why change a variable?

 

[homer21]

Ha Ha I remember the time me and a bunch of my friends all switched seats and moved to the front row for an O-chem quiz. I think that was a little much for the "frontrowers".

 

[DrYoda]

pancakes for breakfast.

 

[willen101383]

Ha Ha I remember the time me and a bunch of my friends all switched seats and moved to the front row for an O-chem quiz. I think that was a little much for the "frontrowers".

HAHA thats hilarious. I remember the frontrowers back then gettin their panties all twisted up over where they sat

 

[shmelke]

1mm uni-ball Jetstream, black... broken top

 

[orthomyxo]

Stay up all night cramming because I'm a *******. Not the best approach, but it worked every time.

 

[ThaliaNox]

There's this girl who was in only one of my med school classes (grad student, I think...) and she sat in my chair for the tests. Threw me off, every time.

 

[crixx]

I'm all about the meditation. I lay on my back on the floor and blast Chopin for 10 minutes before I head over to the test.

When the test is handed out, I take off my "lucky" cap and start chewing a piece of gum.

Same procedure for every test I take. I guess it's just comforting to have a routine.

 

[niblet]

1mm uni-ball Jetstream, black... broken top

Good luck!

 

[AlanAlanine]

this isn't really what you're looking for but I took my MCAT on Friday the 13th lol

 

[boaz]

Lots of sleep the night before. 😴😴

 

[randombetch]

In the week or two before the exam I try to learn everything I'm supposed to know.

Then I show up to the test.

That typically works pretty well for me.

👍👍

 

[apumic]

My 3 rituals have already been mentioned:

Lots of sleep the night before. 😴😴

In the week or two before the exam I try to learn everything I'm supposed to know.

Then I show up to the test.

That typically works pretty well for me.

Works amazingly well! 👍👍👍

Good luck!

Bring one of these -- plus a #2 pencil.



I also "brain dump" on tests oftentimes (i.e., write down crucial information, tables, flowcharts, etc., to ensure I remember it when I need it on the exam and to save time from having to think about it later; it lowers stress for me as it reminds me I know what I am doing and such)

 

[TooMuchResearch]

In the week or two before the exam I try to learn everything I'm supposed to know.

Then I show up to the test.

That typically works pretty well for me.

This is brilliant. I will try this in the future. Thank you 😍

 

[bobsmith]

In the week or two before the exam I try to learn everything I'm supposed to know.

Then I show up to the test.

That typically works pretty well for me.

weirdest superstition ever. i don't know anybody that does this

 

[Abby_Normal]

I wear the bright rainbow-coloured socks I knitted. I only finished them this past fall, so I've only worn them for exams this year and I don't have any of the results yet, so I can't report back on whether it's worked...

My theory behind the socks: At first glance, I assumed they'd be extremely difficult to knit, but when I actually started on them, they turned out to be incredibly easy. Hence, they are allegorical, or I hope they will be.

 

[boaz]

Also, if the test involves a lot of equations, I write and rewrite a synopsis (e.g. list of equations) from memory until it goes effortlessly.

I once had to memorize a whole table of positive/negative results for biochemical tests of bacteria (!!). I just kept trying rewriting it from memory until I no longer needed to "cheat."

 

[shmelke]

Good luck!

Thankfully... at my school, we rarely get scantrons... good point though

 

[guyski79]

actually, i always made it a point to never sit in seat #13 of any auditorium for an exam.

 

[Tiktaalik]

For class exams - I sit in the same seat I sat in during lecture. I come in 5-10 min early and review my bare-bones outline in the seat I'll take the exam in. If the exam is stressing me out (physics & chem really got to me sometimes), I'll do a little bit of a stretch/breathing/meditation thing first.

Supplies: 2 or more pencils and one pen (checked for ink) for backup (pencils can break, but a pen doesn't give out as easily - I had to to a calc exam in pen once b/c of pencil failure). Calculator batteries checked the night before. 2 alarms set (one wall-powered, one battery-powered), 10 minutes apart, 15 minutes earlier than I usually wake up. I check that both alarms are set correctly at least 3 times. If the exam is standardized, I will put calculator, writing utensils, and my ID in a bag and hang that bag on the door. If it's a "big deal" exam, like the JLPT or GRE, I'll pack a snack as well.

The morning of the exam, I use the extra 15 minutes to make/eat breakfast and look over notes.

Taken apart, most of this would be common sense stuff. But when I bring it all together, it becomes a ridiculous, obsessive-compulsive ritual that is repeated exactly prior to EVERY exam day.