When you’re taking a high-stakes exam (whether that’s actuarial exams, the GRE, GMAT, LSAT or college finals), it’s not just about how well you know the material. It’s about how well you can apply that knowledge on exam day.

I wrote this article to help you improve your memory, focus and exam-day performance by feeding your brain the right nutrients to perform at full capacity.

I spent the last 7+ years researching and testing supplements throughout college and my actuarial exams, and I’m excited to share the results.

A few ground rules before jumping in:

• I don’t recommend any supplements that I haven’t personally tested. There are plenty that didn’t make the cut, either from a lack of scientific research or poor anecdotal results.
• I’m not a doctor. Consult a medical professional before taking nutritional supplements.

Highlights:

The complete solution:

Mind Lab Pro (taken once daily, add caffeine when needed)

Recommended supplements for studying:

1. Caffeine + L-theanine (taken 30 minutes prior to exam or study session)
2. Bacopa monnieri (taken once daily)
3. L-tyrosine (taken 30 minutes prior to exam)

Why take supplements for your exam?

You’re studying for a high-stakes exam.

You’ve studied countless hours, and one question can be the difference between pass or fail.

You want to do everything in your power to maximize your chances on exam day.

It’s not just about how much you know going into the test; it’s about how well you can apply that information on one particular day. It’s all about one performance.

This is like a professional athlete training for the Olympics. Months (or years) of training all come down to a single day of competition. Performing at 99% capacity vs. 95% makes a  difference.

Professional athletes understand the importance of nutrition and stress management for peak performance, and exam-takers can follow suit.

Nutrition and supplementation are just as critical for cognitive function as they are for physical performance.

I’m sure you’ve had days where you experienced “brain fog”, and other days where you felt “in the zone” and information flowed easily.

Supplements are useful to ensure you can tap into that flow state when you need it most. By definition, they are just supplemental – they aren’t a magic fix if you haven’t studied hard.

But when one question can make the difference in a pass/fail result, I want to do everything I can to improve focus, memory, and stress response.

Top 3 Supplements for Studying and Exam Performance

1. Caffeine + L-theanine – Improved Focus

Key features:

• Safe & well-researched
• Immediate results – you notice the effect the first time you try it
• Synergistic – the benefits of caffeine and l-theanine complement each other well

You’re probably familiar with using caffeine to increase focus while studying. However, people sometimes dislike caffeine for the jitteriness and anxiety, especially on exam day when nerves are already high.

That’s where L-theanine comes in. L-theanine promotes relaxation without causing sleepiness. When taken with caffeine, people typically describe the effect as a calm, smooth focus. L-theanine can also be used on its own to reduce anxiety.

L-theanine and caffeine are naturally found in green tea, but the dosage is relatively small and the proportion isn’t optimal.

Optimal Dosage:

Everyone has varying caffeine tolerances and sensitivities, so experiment with the right caffeine level that gives you energy without jitters. As a rule of thumb, aim for an L-theanine amount that is 1-2x that of your caffeine amount (e.g. 200 mg of L-theanine for a 100 mg cup of coffee).

For me, 100 mg of caffeine + 200 mg of L-theanine has a strong effect. I ramp this up to 200 mg of caffeine and 300-400 mg of L-theanine on exam day for extra focus.

Especially on exam day when anxiety is high, L-theanine is a great addition to keep you calm and focused. I typically use the following supplements:

If you pick just one supplement from this article, try the L-theanine + caffeine combo. It has an immediate impact, and it’s affordable. You can also use this combo for other high-stress situations that require focus, such as interviews or work presentations.

2. Bacopa monnieri – Improved Memory and Attention

Key features:

• Safe & well-researched (more studies than any other supplement on this page)
• Sustainability – you don’t build up a tolerance, so you can take it daily. Becomes more effective over time.
• Robust history of usage in Ayurvedic medicine

Bacopa monnieri improves memory after sustained usage (one to two months of consistent supplementation). It’s like a multi-vitamin for your brain.

It doesn’t give the instant gratification of caffeine, but it has a big advantage: sustainability. You can build up a tolerance to caffeine, but that doesn’t happen with Bacopa monnieri. You get the improved memory over the long-haul (which is especially important for systems like actuarial exams, where the process spans several years).

Bacopa monnieri can be supplemented in either pill or powder form. (The powder doesn’t taste great, so I recommend the pill form.) Below is the brand I’ve been using:

3. L-tyrosine – Improved Stress Response

Key features:

• Safe and well-researched
• Useful for exam day – improves cognition under stressful conditions

L-tyrosine has been shown to improve cognitive performance under stressful conditions, but not under normal daily conditions. So, it’s useful for exam day when your acute stress is high.

To test it out, I’d try it for a practice exam. You can simulate exam-day conditions and gauge your response. For people with high test anxiety, L-tyrosine can be especially useful to improve your cognitive response under stressful conditions.

L-tyrosine has typically been tested at dosages around 500-2000 mg about 30 minutes prior to exposure to the acute stressor (i.e. take it 30 minutes before your practice/actual exam). You may want to start on the lower end of that dosage and work your way up.

Below is the L-tyrosine supplement I’ve used for my past two exams:

The Complete Solution

If you’re looking to go the extra mile with optimizing performance, check out:

Mind Lab Pro combines the top supplements above (l-theanine, bacopa monnieri, and l-tyrosine) into a single product.

You receive all the benefits – improved focus, attention, memory, and stress response – without the hassle of buying separate products.

Plus, you benefit from additional ingredients like Rhodiola Rosea that just missed my Top 3 list, but that I take regularly.

I’ve tried and researched over 15 different products like Mind Lab Pro, and this one wins out for a few reasons:

• High-quality ingredients
• Appropriate doses of key ingredients (other products put a small amount just to claim the benefit)
• Sustainability – this product doesn’t contain caffeine or other habit-forming substances, so it can be taken safely on a daily basis
• Well-researched and safe ingredients – check out www.examine.com to look at the science behind each ingredient.

If you’re looking for a single supplement with the highest payoff, Mind Lab Pro is your best bet.

You can add in a coffee or caffeine pill on occasion for the synergistic benefits mentioned above.

Implementing Supplements into your Study Routine

A few parting suggestions:

• Don’t introduce a new supplement the day of your exam (test them out on a practice exam first)
• Start with small amounts to gauge initial reactions
• Do your own research to make a sound judgment on whether or not to try a supplement (I always use www.examine.com for supplement research)

Good luck on your exam, and I hope these supplements help you take your performance to the next level!

Study Smart, Pass Fast, Live Life

Mike & Roy

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