So you wake up the morning of your big test and staring at you is a plate full of runny eggs. Do you eat them? Of course not! Ok, that is a pretty easy call. But what should you eat then? Well, this is really a bigger question because it also involves what you should drink, what you should eat the night before, etc.
Let’s start with the night before. Athletic coaches will often tell you to load up on carbs the night before a big game. While you are not running a marathon, you will burn up a surprising amount of energy on test day – the nervousness alone accounts for a big part of that. If you have not sat for the actual test yet, be prepared to be exhausted after! So a bowl of pasta or a meal with some good complex carbs in it is a good idea for the night before the big day. And stick with things that you have eaten many times before and that don’t bother your stomach (a super-spicy meal is probably not the best idea). You don’t want to wake up on test day with a stomachache.
Additionally, you want to plan your hydration. Part of the problem here is that you don’t want to drink too much right before the test and then have to go to the bathroom during the first section! So try to drink a lot the day and evening before, so that the next day you are well hydrated. However, stop drinking a few hours before bed so that you don’t wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and then find that you can’t fall back asleep.
Similarly, on the day of your test, don’t drink a lot too close to when your test starts. And if you drink tea or coffee, DO NOT drink those things within an hour or possibly more of when your test starts because you will very likely have to go to the bathroom during the first section.
In terms of what to eat in the hours before your test, keep it VERY simple! You definitely need to eat, so don’t skip eating, but if you have a nervous stomach, you do not want to risk having issues at the test. When I personally go in and take the SAT or ACT, I am nervous enough that all I eat is bread and a little water or juice (I call this the prison diet). And I don’t even have anything but personal pride riding on these tests anymore! Keep in mind, I’ve eaten really well the night before and have been careful to really hydrate the day before as well. I just don’t want to challenge my stomach in any way right before the test. If you feel like you have an iron stomach or are just not that nervous, you could certainly push it a little further, but again I would not risk eating anything that could cause you trouble (I would avoid eggs, for example).
One last very important point: bring a drink and snack! I usually bring a couple of granola bars and water with me to any test I take. I am typically less nervous by the break, so I usually feel better eating at that point. But I am still careful not to drink too much, so as to not have to go to the bathroom in the middle of a section. I take some sips but will not polish off the entire bottle.
Feel free to personalize the above suggestions since only you know yourself and much of the above is, of course, subjective. But how you feed and hydrate yourself will be important factors in your test day performance. So have a plan for what you’ll eat and drink and when you’ll do it, and you’ll be much more likely to have a great test day experience.