Brevet and baccalaureate: three tips to boost your memory and concentration during tests

A healthy lifestyle is essential to boost your memory during the end-of-year exam period. Maria Casinos/Getty Images

Who says June, says revisions and preparation for the Brevet, Baccalaureate, and entrance exams into certain Grandes Ecoles. A period synonymous with stress, sleep disorders, and sometimes even junk food, which can impact memory, attention, and concentration, to the point of being detrimental to you on exam day.

Here are three tips and advice to implement to boost these essential skills and get through all the tests.

On the importance of sleep

We will never stop repeating it, there is no point in revising until the first light of day to obtain good results in the patent or baccalaureate, quite the contrary. The fatigue accumulated during the last revisions can harm your performance, and have an impact on your concentration and your memory, two essential faculties during exam period. Many scientific studies have established a link between sleep and improved abilities to learn, memorize, or use new knowledge, as revealed by data published by the University of Pennsylvania, in the United States. Which specifies that researchers even linked sleep and exam results in 2019, revealing that the less students slept, the worse their grades were.

For its part, the B2V Observatory of Memoirs indicates that it is important to "preserve sleep during revision", recalling in particular that "at night, [the] brain relives learning episodes to consolidate them effectively in memory". And go even further by recommending naps to students to boost their abilities even further. "The short 20-minute nap after lunch is not a myth. Digestion requires energy and fatigue… hellip; So listen to your body and avoid revision right after meals!", can we read on the site specializing in the functioning of memory.

The watchword: concentration

We've all experienced it: noise from the neighborhood, persistent music, or even incessant thoughts can also harm students' ability to retain a plethora of information in preparation for exams. It is therefore important to ensure that all the conditions are met so that attention is focused only on the revisions in progress. To do this, there is nothing better than isolating yourself in a room, far from the hustle and bustle of group revisions, and clearing your mind before diving into your revisions. It is of course advisable to turn off the music or the television – and if possible your phone – so that concentration is optimal – and this, although some people find it better to learn with background noise.

If your home is poorly insulated, you can for example invest in noise-canceling headphones that will isolate you from the rest of the world for the duration of this final learning. Note that this does not mean giving up your social relationships, quite the contrary. The B2V Memoirs Observatory also recommends “splitting up revision time”, with “several episodes (…) lasting around twenty minutes spread over several days”.The idea being not to spend entire days locked away revising, but to intersperse this learning time with activities linked to well-being. This can take the form of sports sessions, cultural activities, or more simply outings with friends.

What food ?

"Eat fish, it's good for your memory!". We've all heard one day or another this received idea, linked to the phosphorus content of the flesh of certain fish. But scientific studies contradict each other on the subject, with the most refractory arguing in particular that fish is far from being the only food rich in phosphorus – it is also found in dairy products, eggs, certain meats and certain vegetables. dried fruits, seeds, or even seafood. Over the last decade, however, a number of studies have demonstrated that the consumption of fish helps improve cognitive functions, and fight against cognitive decline.

In 2014, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh suggested that eating baked or grilled fish once a week was beneficial for the brain, and against memory loss. An additional fact to take into account during the revisions to put all the chances on your side in order to shine on the big day.