Drugs, tricks, exams and study

[DrSpike]

My degrees were obtained with just hard work and brilliance. Unless you're counting coffee as an artificial aid, in which case I'm a pretty bad offender.

[Darius871]

Re: Drugs, tricks, exams and study

Originally posted by CrONoS
My question could somewhat be personal, and I understand if people wouldn't want to discuss it.

But I wanted to know if you have tricks for exams; enhancing short term memory, faster reasoning skills, being better in maths, etc.

I never did drug for exams; my friend used Ritalin for studying and during exams (as my sister).

As for myself; I found that drinking Red Bull is a very bad ideas when writing a dissertation; it seems that I have difficulty finding the good word and my short time memory seems to be negatively affected.

I had good results in economics exams with Red Bull, but I try to only drink it at the half of the exams.

I read a articles on Provigil (modafinil) on the economist, and times. And this drug seems to be perfect for exams. Is anyone tried it?

Drugs aside, it never hurts to drop by GNC and get some nootropic supplements; most of the herbal stuff is just overpriced placebos at worst or have had inconclusive testing at best, but supplementing endogenous things like Coenzyme Q10, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, L-Cartinine, Lecithin, DHEA, Tyrosine, Creatine, Inositol, Phenylalanine, etc. is more reliable, depending on how much of each you get from normal diet (Q10 and Omega-3 are typically deficient even in what's considered a balanced diet, Lecithin to a lesser extent, the others not so much, but certainly all would be a boost if your usual daily choices are between Ramen and Easy Mac). There's also some debate about the recommended daily amount of Ascorbic Acid with regard to cognition; for instance Linus Pauling recommends 60-180 times the DRI.

As far as herbal stuff, the familiar Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng have the most scientific backing and they did give me some more energy and focus when I tried them for a week each, but nothing coming close to prescription drugs of course. I've noticed a much stronger effect from green tea, which is backed by scientific studies showing that Theanine has cognitive effects distinct from the caffeine/theobromine/theophylline also in tea. I'd also highly recommend blueberries or raspberries are highly recommended for Anthocyanin content.

I've heard some good things about Gotu Kola, Mucuna Pruriens, Galantamine, Vinpocetine, Huperzine-A, Waterhyssop, Royal Jelly, Yohimbe, Areca Nut, Rosemary, Salvia, Siberian Ginseng, and Vitis Vinifera, but I haven't done enough research on what's bunk or not to recommend anything. Some animal and human studies on some of them seem promising, but no slam-dunks AFAICS.

[Darius871]

Oh and how could I leave out Kinshuk:

It is said that the tree is a form of Agnidev, God of Fire. It was a punishment given to Him by Goddess Parvati for disturbing Hers and Lord Shiva's privacy.

LS

[Asher]

My trick to study for exams was to bring a trick home.

[Blaupanzer]

If you use a real activity enhancer, say speed, as a study aide to extend the time available to study while not becoming overtired, you need to use that same enhancer in relation to the exam. The same is true if you drank and/or used grass simultaneously with studying. You will achieve the broadest range of memory and have the most immediate recall when in the same mental state as that in which the studying took place.

If you don't both work and go to school, I recommend you don't mix studying with recreational drugs except for nicotine if you are so addicted, Also get a good night's before the exam as you SHOULD HAVE read and reviewed all the study material.

[Space05us]

Pekka is right, as always.

[Arrian]

I can tell you this:

Studying for a next-morning exam whilst playing beer pong doesn't work very well.

I never tried anything else (mostly I avoided the situations that led to all-nighters being necessary, like paying attention before the test and/or selecting classes I could bull**** my way through...).

-Arrian

[Pekka]

Space, naturally

There's few good "tricks" to be done. First of all, find a place where you have the best mind set to read and write. There's a difference between trying to be in a messy place, where you get distracted all the time and then the environment of serenity, where you can just read for hours, you just tune in to a book and forget time exists. Environment. I myself like libraries. I prefer them. Home second, office third.

Then, most people have their better hours, and you should know what they are. That's the hours when you can concentrate the best. When there's nothing else going on. When no one is going to call you, when nothing good is on TV, or just your natural hours.

Capitalize on that. THat's why I said to try to wake up early and write. YOu've got nothing else to do and you're still a bit out of it, so in a way mentally you feel good most likely. You know, getting something done, it's like walking down the street when the lights are on, the sun isn't up, and you're already performing. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it feels good, to be already on something. Now, keep on writing and you will peak during in couple of hours most likely, and that's when you need to be writing the most.

I get ALL my writing done in few hours. My best hours are from 11AM to 1PM. I can write 24/7, but within those two hours, I always lock my office so no one bothers me. I put on some good music that I like, a cup of coffee, and I usually during that time. I get my best ideas, the text just happens. In two hours I get more done than in 6 hours off-time. So that's why I aim for those two hours, before that I take it slow and after that I just start reading more and less writing. That's the ideal for me. Unfortunately it doesn't happen always, and I write after 12PM too often. But that's life.

So four things to be considered IMO are concentration and energy, and to have those working for you is to capitalize on your usual peaking time in an environment that allows you to work that momentum. Rarely, if all those things are in place, rarely does it result into boredom or nothing done. Sometimes it does, but usually it's good stuff.

[DirtyMartini]

Just try not to be knocked unconscious by being dropped head-first onto a hardwood floor while wrapped neck to ankles in unwound VHS tape 20 minutes before the exam...

This leads to poor performance.

[Richelieu]

One trick that i used was with things i had a hard time remembering. Specific dates for example, or Unix commands when i first started studying it.
I'd keep those on a separate sheet and arrive 1/2 hour before the exam, cram as much as i could into my brain during that time and as soon as the exam was handed over then write them all down on the back of the last page, to be retrieved later during the exam if need be.

[Ben Kenobi]

My only trick is to emulate Sarah Palin and Drill Drill Drill.



I'm a big fan of sleeping the night of the exam. I won't study at all the final day.

I make cheatsheets regardless if I'm allowed to take them into the exam or not, because making them I find is good review. Trying to sum up an entire course on one sheet of paper also helps with your recall during the exam.

Most of mine were essay questions, and I always wrote an outline to the essay on the back of the paper and sketched it out usually for a half an hour, after I'd spent 10 minutes reading through the whole exam. Then I would write until my hands hurt to fill the pages of the essay. I usually got out about an hour early in all of my exams, even though I never put pen to paper in the first half hour.

If they are short answer questions, I rank them according to my confidence until I fill the required number of questions, and start with the ones I find easiest and work my way down.

Multiple choice, I just drill through the sample questions until I can blitz through all of them. If one stumps me I spend extra time on that chapter, until I understand the question.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
My only trick is to emulate Sarah Palin and Drill Drill Drill.

Masturbation is a sin.

[Ben Kenobi]

First you accuse me of being gay, and now you are accusing me of jerking off to Sarah Palin?

Why don't you call me when you get your story straight?

[Jon Miller]

I Follow the 'good night sleep' idea. That is generally better than last minute studying even if I don't know the material.

JM

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
First you accuse me of being gay, and now you are accusing me of jerking off to Sarah Palin?

Why don't you call me when you get your story straight?

I didn't say you jerk off to Sarah Palin. You're such an epic ******.

Praise Jesus.