<p>What with the new test being 4+ hours long, it seems like a lot of students are hurting simply because they're not used to concentrating so hard for such an extended period of time. Students with a lot of focus and stamina seem to be doing better.</p>
<p>This issue (focus/stamina/attention) is an important one in overall academic performance as well.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever found anything--a book, a skill, a habit, a method--that helped significantly increase his or her ability to focus and concentrate for extended periods of time? What's the best way to attack this issue methodically?</p>
<p>This wasn't really a problem for me (I have a very high level of concentration and stamina when it comes to focusing on work). But my best advice would be to sit down with the Blue Book and take the tests.</p>
<p>I find that my diet and amount of sleep have a great effect on my performance in pretty much anything, not only the SAT. Two nights before an important event I always eat a meal with a lot of carbs (usually pasta). A lot of people say that you should eat carbs the night before but actually when you're dealing with complex carbs (such as pasta) you achieve the full benefit of the energy they can provide if you eat them two nights before. The night before I eat a meal with a lot of protein (meat or nuts, that kind of thing) that will take a long time to digest and therefore prevent me from being hungry during the test. Breakfast that day I eat a mix of carbs and proteins, for both quick and long-term energy.</p>
<p>As far as sleep goes, I try to make sure I'm getting at least nine hours of sleep at least two nights before the test, and, if possible, an even longer sleep the night before the test.</p>
<p>Other than that, confidence helps me the most in any endeavor. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Ritalin. lol, just kidding. Really, I agree with Ruella. I find sleep to be the most important. I just can't concentrate at all if I'm tired. Try your best to get as much sleep as possible before the exam. The trouble with this is that most people panic the night before, and end up actually falling asleep an hour before they need to get up.</p>
<p>I recommend eating well. I went for eggs, a "brain food", the night before, then toast with peanut butter (another brain food) for breakfast. I also had a little bit of caffeinated tea which I felt helped a lot, though I felt like crap later. I brought lots of water and snacks too to eat during the breaks. Just don't drink too much and find yourself having to go to the bathroom during the test. Also get some sleep, wake up extra early (take a shower if it helps you), and while your eating breakfast look at some SAT problems to get your mind warmed up. Worked for me.</p>