I would have to go with coconut oil, salmon, green tea, and honey. And personally fasting doesn't make me more mentally clear, if anything it just makes me hungry. I focus best when I am neither hungry nor stuffed.

My clearest/sharpest test day was when I had a whole turkey leg for breakfast. That was a good decade before even knowing what paleo was, I just had leftover turkey for breakfast with some salt on it and noticed that I felt awesome, super focused and calm at the same time. Salt perks me up too, almost as much as caffeine but without the jitteriness and added bathroom trips, so salting whatever you are having the morning of the test could help too.

Eggs make my brain foggy, and make my belly a bit queasy, so if you have any sort of reaction to eggs I couldn't recommend those.

I don't think the omega 3 effect from fish would be immediate. When it is called brain food, I think that is because it has the building blocks for your brain to support it over time. So if you haven't eaten fish all quarter, eating a ton of it now isn't going to do much.

But the thing that really helps the most is sleep and actually knowing your shit. So study early and often, and don't forget to sleep.

Best brain food is coffee. Cheers

I'm in my last year of high school and we had Dr Michael Carr-Gregg lecture us about good study habits. He talked about using diet, exercise and sleep patterns to maximise our brain power. His top brain foods were:

• Blueberries
• Eggs
• Flaxseed and flaxseed oil
• Yoghurt
• Avocado
• Fish (or an Omega 3 supplement)

He also had a bunch of other tips that are best summarised here: http://www.vicparentscouncil.vic.edu.au/index.php/student-wellbeing/exam-survival

My personal opinion is that you should, based on past experiences because your exams are quite soon, choose the foods that you know you react well to. Everyone responds differently. Some do their best in a fasted state, some after a large meal, some having eaten a carb-rich meal and some snacking periodically every few hours before. I wouldn't be experimenting with new foods at this point in case of an adverse reaction. If you usually have caffeine, have caffeine, but if not, now is not the time to see how it goes. As for the above foods, I agree with Carr-Gregg in that they have been shown to improve brain function. Eggs and blueberries in particular had an immediate effect when eaten for breakfast on the day of an exam. Of course, there is also the placebo effect.

Play it safe. Perhaps try different foods and processes after the exams are over for future referene. The most important thing is to be well-rested and to know your stuff. Good luck!

I went to law school and had lots of days like this. Taking some mints into the exam with me helped me to stay alert during the exams. Also, on study days try taking a 15 min nap. No longer! That's was my brain food. Naps. Hope that helps.

Eggs and butter as in 'quiche'. My slightly befuddled, 93 YO father commented on his mental clarity one morning recently after completing his morning crossword.

He usually eats low cholesterol food but the quiche had been provided by a neighbour the previous evening at a social gathering. He is a retired MD and it is a bit difficult persuading him that cholesterol containing foods need not be avoided.

Personally when I eat sushi (sashimi, no rice and only teensy amounts of tamari & wasabi) I feel calm and clear for a couple of hours afterwards. The calm is the most obvious to me...as if I could sit and meditate awhile and not get distracted. Maybe you can do an experiment one day before your exam?

I would recommend shellfish and more generally the epi-paleo rx that can be found at http://jackkruse.com/brain-gut-6-epi-paleo-rx/

What I would do? Fast for at least a good 12 hours. Digesting food is the single most energy consuming function of the body. The brain needs access to 25-30% of the available energy your body has at any and every given moment. In my opinion if you want to concentrate on a task more efficiently, I would direct all your energy towards that task; whether it be physical, such as working out, or mental, such as studying or taking an exam. But that's just what I would do. And the best way to have access to a steady supply of energy during a fast is on a ketogenic diet, but more specifically in a state of ketosis.

Salt water taffy!

Well, omega 3's tend to have a enhancing effect, just like eating eggs (a choline-source, that is a brain enhancer as well). Just make sure to eat like 5 of them before your exam.

Furthermore, you could try to do your exam in a fasted state (I achieved my best grades this way). This ensures you think clearly, very clearly. You also could add some caffeine in the form of green/white tea (only works if you aren't a caffeine junk :P), for the extra focus.

Make sure you avoid carbs entirely in your breakfast. You don't want to have a blood sugar drop.

A last tip: Try to eat greens the day before your exam. A LOT OF GREENS. Like a few pounds of broccoli, spinach, kale etc. This will promote many hours of clear thinking the next day.

Coffee

Chew gum

Also have a high protein shake as your pre-exam meal.

Brains. Especially if you are taking a Zombie exam.

This is what works for me. Coffee while studying, plenty of sleep the night before, green tea with honey and lemon, handful of nuts and blueberries for breakfast (I'm not much of a breakfast person, but I'd hate to get hungry during a long exam), salad with a good amount of protein and fat for lunch. I think having a routine is as important as what the routine consists of.

1. Bananas
2. Chocolate (no sugar added)
3. Nuts
4. Dried fruit.

(That's when you have to study for the exam)

Good luck! (or break a leg, whatever works for you).

Agree with the fasting recomendations! I fasted for at least 16 hours before all of my final exams and passed them all. My mind was the clearest it ever was and I wasn't as stressed/shaky as usual. Don't do this for the first time on an important exam though. See if it works for you for a small less important test first. Also gender seems to matter, I read fasting makes women smarter I guess for survival and all that, I'd have to find the link to the article tho..

Fasting would be best. It increases BDNF. If you choose to eat nothing is better than raw oysters and a great night of sleep before the exam. Sleep also improves BDNF which dramatically improves cognitive performance.

I remember reading that the brain needs a constant supply of glucose. During my prepaleo days I'd constantly snacked on carbs when studying and during the test! I was younger so no ill effects till now I guess. I would NOT suggest fasting. Eat but don't stuff yourself to keep a constant supply of nutrients. Over stuffing will direct blood flow to the stomach and make you sleepy.

Regardless of carb intake, if you flood your liver with medium/short chained SFA, you'll produce ketones, and assuming you tolerate the source(coconut oil for me), you'll have a nice supply of brain (and heart) energy for your exams.

Three hours is a long time, so I'd wary of preparing for a sprint, when you mostly likely are headed for a marathon. As others have mentioned, don't do anything radical that could backfire -- like give youself bladder or bowel distress during the exam. I once flunked a huge exam this way!