Did you know eating chocolate before taking a test will make you do better? I did not make it up just because I love chocolate. My elementary school teacher told me that. Every time we had final exams, she would stand at the door and give each one of us a piece of chocolate. She said there is something inside chocolate that would make the human brain function better in the next few hours. This sounded very scientific to me, and plus, she was a serious and knowledgeable lady who has the power to make people believe in whatever she said. So I did believe it, and I still do now.
The first time I took my TOEFL test in 9th grade, I was so frightened. I totally felt that my world would fall apart if I failed it. My hands were freezing in that early summer, and my favorite music could not even get my attention. The test center is far away from my house ----- it took my uncle two hours to drive me there. I just stared at the car window for the entire ride and thought of nothing but chocolate. “If I could have a piece of chocolate before I take a test, I would never fail it.”
So when I took my second TOEFL test online last year, I had a box of chocolate right next to me. To be honest, I cannot eat a lot of it at the same time, but the entire box really made me feel safe. Then, of course, I had chocolate before all the big tests: the SAT three times, the AP exams, and two other TOEFL tests.
After realizing how much chocolate calms me down, I started to use this trick whenever I felt nervous. Yes, I did have chocolate this morning, for this speech.
But, why is it so powerful? In the beginning, I guessed because it gave me confidence. I thought the trick to relax is to trust that I can do well until I did a lot worse than expected in my first SAT. After seeing my scores, all I wanted was chocolate, just like the morning I took my first TOEFL test.
That afternoon, when I finally got home and had chocolate in my hands, I thought about my elementary school teacher. I remembered, "Don't be afraid," she once said, "Always come to me if you want another piece after the test. I will be here." This is it. This is where all the power and belief come from. I needed to know, to make sure that it is ok to not be the best one or to not get the highest scores. I will not be alone even if I fail.