It’s a long standing piece of advice that you cannot work on an empty stomach and that for an exam you should eat plenty of ‘brain-food’ such as oily fish, but does any of this really help when it comes to taking your exams?
A lot of researchhas been done into how hydration effects the ability to concentrate and stay alert and the results strongly indicate that for your brain to be able to perform to its full capability you must stay hydrated by drinking 7 glasses of water daily.
Having a coffee or a tea can help if you’re feeling tired but try not to overdo it as caffeine can dehydrate you and completely avoid ‘energy drinks’ as the caffeine hit in these is far too intense and the rush of sugar means that you can crash fairly quickly after having one.
More than eating a particular food the best advice seems to be to eat enough, ensure that the morning of your exam you have a good breakfast (even if you don’t feel like it!) as with an empty stomach you certainly will feel more sick and will also loose energy and concentration during the exam. So order yourself a bacon butty, a coffee and a big glass of water then take a deep breath and try to relax and do your best.