What to Eat When Writing Your Exams

You should take into account every little thing that can give you a competitive advantage over other writers. What many writers don't think about when they have to deal with the stress of the CFE is the food they are putting in their bodies while they study and particularly on exam day.

When writers stop at Tim Horton's before they go to the test center and order their double-double coffee, they are putting sugar into their bodies. Consuming sucrose and other types of sugar increases energy levels in proportion to the amount consumed. If sugar is eaten in sufficiently large amounts, it can result in a burst of energy known as a sugar high that ends in a sharp drop in energy levels. 

The last thing that you want is a sugar crash two hours into writing your exams with hours left to go. Some of the high carbohydrate foods to avoid that will cause an insulin spike are:

  • white grain products, such as pasta and rice
  • cookies
  • white bread
  • cold processed cereals
  • sugared drinks

You should focus on complex carbohydrates that don't cause your insulin to spike while you are writing the CFE. Here is a link to an article that explains 50 foods that you can eat that will help keep your insulin level steady while you spend five hours writing cases (click here). 

The BBC also has a good article about the way food can affect your exam performance. Click here to read it.

A good time to explore the foods that help keep you full and focused is while you write practice exams before the actual exam. I would not recommend that you leave it to chance by changing your meal plan the week of the exam.

If you find this useful and want even more great advice for writing the CFE, please contact me to work as your mentor.