We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about their weirdest study superstitions. Here's what they had to say.
1. The backwards superstition.
2. And the unorthodox order.
I can't go in order while taking my test or doing practice problems. Like that’s just so… wrong?? So I do the first two or three problems, then I go to the end of the test and do a couple of questions, and then I work on the middle of it.
3. The "knock on wood" good luck charm.
I always knock the wood of the desk I'm sitting on before I take the exam.
4. The floor routine.
My weird study superstition is that I always have to be sitting on the floor. I swear, it’s true. I’ve never failed a test I studied for sitting on the floor.
5. The Olivia Pope-inspired study buddy.
6. The numerous superstitions.
I have this mug that I have coffee in on the day of the exam, it’s my lucky charm. I only use a specific brand of pen for my exams, and a very particular pencil case that I carry. Then I follow a particular order while writing answers. If I don’t, I just get very anxious and feel like something is going wrong.
7. The sweet study dreams.
I used to (and maybe still do) sleep with my book and/or notes under my pillow, hoping the information would diffuse into my brain while I slept. Knowing that the notes were under my pillow made me think about the information all night and may or may not have actually helped.
8. The never-fail gum trick.
When I study, I chew a piece of spearmint gum. During my test, I also chew the same piece... not a new piece of gum, the SAME EXACT PIECE. That way I remember what I study.
9. The benefits of an "examwich".
I always make the same examwiches (beet salad, meatballs and lettuce).
10. And the must-drink Vitamin Water.
11. The calming rock.
I had a special pencil I only used for tests. I also had to chew gum while taking the test, made sure I had chapstick, and a small smooth rock that I could rub to help me think or calm me down.
12. And the chosen pencil.
I have a turquoise mechanical pencil that I use the night before, as well as during, a test. It’s the same pencil and I only use it for taking the test and studying, something about it just always seems to help me remember things.
13. The rarely washed shirt.
I used the exact same pencil for study notes and for the test. I also had this tie-dyed Grateful Dead bears shirt that I would wear for every test. I wouldn’t wash it the whole semester, only during breaks.
14. The precisely planned routine.
15. The cursed day superstition.
So if I had a bad day, I’ll try to do everything different like I can’t wear the same bra, or eat the same breakfast because then I’ll have another bad day.
16. The information retaining pacing.
When I study, I pace around my dinner table in a counter-clockwise direction as I find walking while studying helps me retain information. But if by chance I have to walk backwards (clockwise) when I’m studying, I feel that I’m losing all the information that I gained in those few steps, as if I’m going back in time to when I didn’t know the information.
17. The sound of rain.
When I study, I absolutely have to wash my face with a tingly facewash, and then I have to sit on the very edge of a hard chair, bolt upright, and have rain noises playing before I can think about anything.
18. The sugar-rush.
Drink Fruitopia juice and eat Smarties. Repeat during exam. Succeed. Pat yourself on the back.
–Marilou D. LeBel, Facebook
19. The calming manicure.
20. The help from Harry Potter.
I convinced myself that if I wore my pair of Ravenclaw socks (because I'm cool like that), I would somehow ace my exam.
–Fionnuala Hunt, Facebook
21. The dress to impress.
I have to dress up for every serious exam or I feel unprepared. I don't usually wear makeup, but I go all out and throw on a dress and heels when I need to ace something.
–Hannah Starke, Facebook
22. The lucky pair of shoes.
I never wear any black items of clothing to the exam (although black is my favourite colour). I am convinced that they are somehow unlucky for me. I also have a lucky pair of shoes.
–Janhavi Deshpande, Facebook
23. And the help from Pikachu.
