How to focus before a test: the 10-minute method

Why your attention wanders right before a test

Focusing isn't just “making an effort of will”: it relies on a limited resource, working memory, which holds in mind what you're thinking about while you think. The problem before a test is that part of that memory is already taken up by intrusive thoughts: the clock ticking, the fear of failing, the conversation before the bell. A landmark study by Sian Beilock and Thomas Carr shows that pressure hits hardest the performance of those who rely most on their working memory to succeed¹: the more worried you are, the more that resource fills up with worry instead of useful content.

A famous study published in Science also showed that the human mind “wanders” nearly half of our waking hours, and that this mind-wandering goes along with a worse emotional state, whatever the activity². In other words, a wandering mind isn't a personal flaw: it's the natural tendency of attention, and you have to actively bring it back.

The 10-minute routine before a test

1. Put your phone out of sight (not just on silent on the table). For many people, just having it in sight takes up part of their attention.
2. Stop studying, even if there's still one revision sheet you want to go over “just to be sure.” These last minutes add almost nothing to what you already know.
3. Do two minutes of slow breathing: breathe in through your nose for about 4 seconds, breathe out for about 6 seconds. This is linked to higher parasympathetic activity, and therefore to feeling calmer³. The details are in our guide to anti-stress breathing.
4. Remind yourself in one sentence what you know how to do (“I've mastered the theorem,” “I understand the method”) rather than what you're afraid you don't know. You point your attention toward a resource, not a gap.
5. Choose a keyword to repeat to yourself if your attention drifts during the test (“here,” “one question at a time”). It's the same principle as the Zanshin in the Express Protocol.

During the test: bring your attention back without fighting it

It's normal for your attention to drift, even in the middle of a test. The only move that matters is bringing it back, without blaming yourself for letting it drift:

• if you catch yourself thinking about something else, put your eyes back on the exact word in the instructions where you left off;
• if a question has you stuck, move on to the next one instead of freezing on it: getting something right restarts your attention;
• take one deep breath when you feel yourself starting to rush, before you keep writing.

Training your focus every day

Focus is built like a technical skill: you train it mostly outside moments of pressure. Studying in 20- to 25-minute blocks, with no phone within reach, trains your ability to come back to a task every time your attention slips away — which is exactly what you'll need to do during a test.

For managing stress over a whole busy period, not just on test day, our guide on academic pressure goes further.