A paper presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society last week has shown an easy way for students to boost their test scores: bring water into the exam.
A team comprising researchers from the University of East London and the University of Westminster found that in a group of 447 undergraduates, the ones who took water into exams with them received higher scores than those who took other beverages or nothing at all. The team used classroom grades to control, as much as possible, against the possibility that the water drinkers were naturally more gifted.
The researchers did not investigate whether the students actually drank the water they took in with them, which raises the interesting question of whether the score gains came from remaining hydrated during the exams, or from the simple psychologically calming effect of having water available. The act of drinking can also reduce anxiety beyond a simple physiological response, though the fact that drinkers of non-water beverages showed no gains seems to defy this explanation.
Aside from actual performance, the researchers also noted that first year students were much less likely to take water into their exams. The authors suggest that more effort be made to help students understand the benefits of staying hydrated, and that water should be readily available for all during exams.
Source: British Psychological Society
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