HELPFUL TIP: Avoid eating sugary or greasy foods on the day of the test, and limit what you eat a few days ahead of time. Ever had a stomach ache when you took a test? Doesn’t exactly make for ideal results, does it? Plan the snacks that you have for the short breaks you are given strategically. Pick things that are high protein and nutritious. They help your brain function better and cut down on mental errors. It all adds up! Energy drinks or super-caffeinated beverages are big time naughty. What goes up must go down…. along with your score.

Relevant Story: The first time I took the GRE, which is like the grad school equivalent of the SAT, I was really into Red Bull (it gave me wingzzzz!). I thought that if I drank a bunch of Red Bulls at the beginning of the test and then had one during the break, I’d be soaring. I was… for awhile. Then my stomach started twisting in knots and I felt like I was going to pee my pants…. in the middle of section three. By the end of the test, I felt like a walking Lou Reed song. Needless to say, I bombed out that time. What may be helpful in normal, untimed, and environmentally controlled life, might not work in these circumstances. Be smart!