Rainbowhill Language Lab: Take the fifth step to Ace the JLPT

Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level - Step Five

How do you stay fresh, during study and on test day? In the fourth step in the series Ace the Japanese Language Proficiency Test we look at how important it is to maintain good health and fitness in the lead up to the JLPT.

Dutch Biker by Stuck in Customs, on Flickr

The brain is an organ that relies almost entirely on blood sugar and oxygen for normal functioning. When regulating the body's energy needs it will cover its own comparably high energy requirements with high priority. Because it doesn't store its own energy it relies on the circulatory system to get it there, on demand. If that blood sugar isn't forthcoming, it will induce physical fatigue to ensure it maintains adequate levels of oxygen and blood sugar.

The only way to ensure that the levels of both of these things don't drop during study, or worse still, during the exam, is to maintain good health and fitness.

Get some exercise.

Go on, get outside! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Dull in the sense that the intellect is no longer a keen blade, ready to cut through 100's of kanji repetitions. Steer clear of sugary foods that are prone to inducing energy spikes and sleep inducing insulin rebounds.

Sleep is good too. Not too much not too little. If you can manage free running sleep, even better. You know the old adage, "early to bed early to rise..."? Well there is some truth to that. Sleep when you are tired and wake when you are ready; no alarm clocks, no coffee, no alcohol. How bad do you want it?

When you turn up on test day you want to be fully rested, and able to get through the marathon of testing without succumbing to fatigue. If you are confident that your performance, both physically and intellectually, is up to the task then you'll be much more capable of an Ace on test day.

I go into more detail about test taking strategies in the online video seminar 5 Steps To Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level on eduFire. Subscribers to the Rainbowhill Language Lab newsletter get great study tips throughout the year. If you need some good tips on preparing for the JLPT, please read on.