Want to Score High on Your Exams? Take a Peppermint!
I thought I’ve heard them all. Wear your lucky boxers, kiss the rabbit’s food, throw salt over your shoulder, take an Adderal, or pray to your god. Students relied on these various methods to perform better on their standardized tests. Though I’m not superstitious nor extremely religious, I remember when I had to take my SAT’s I was ready to try just about anything. But now there’s scientific evidence that all a student has to do to increase concentration in a test environment is to eat a peppermint!
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that a whiff of peppermint helped their test subjects perform better on tasks that required prolonged concentration. Middle schools in Maryland’s Montgomery County have been distributing peppermint candies to their students during their state assessments ever since. Come to think of it, when I was taking my mandatory state assessment in 7th grade, my teacher handed out peppermint candies during our 5 minute break. I’m not sure if it helped, but I remembered welcoming and appreciating the gesture.
Of course, there are still others who roll their eyes at such research. Either way, it can’t hurt to supplement your studies with a peppermint as an extra boost when taking the exam.
Who knew? So next time you want to score high, take a peppermint.
