The Kari Diaries: Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Exam Day Outfit

I survived!

It may sound absolutely ridiculous, but when I feel like I look good, I always perform so much better. Every time I take an exam (and I mean every time since my SATs in my senior year of high school) I have this… routine, I suppose.

First off, I stop studying at around 7pm the night before a morning exam. So long as I've truly been preparing for the exam, I don't feel like studying later than that gives me any particular advantage, so I don't do it. I just trust in my abilities and preparation and believe in myself. After eating dinner, I take a nice long, soothing shower and then prepare my things for the exam, including everything I need to take the exam as well as my "exam-taking" outfit.

An "exam-taking" outfit has to be comfortable, most importantly. This might seem very obvious, but you'd be surprised how many pieces of clothing that we deem comfty in real life are actually not-so-comfty while taking an exam. Like jeans, for instance. Whether they are shorts or skinnes, they can be the most uncomfortable pants to take an exam in (I mean, shorts can cut into your thighs and jeans can press against you waist while you sit for hours). Also, don't wear shoes that pinch your feet!

Wear layers or bring them with you. You have no control over the temperature of the test center, and most centers tend to air on the cooler side (because, really, who wants to be burning up answering 100 multiple choice questions?). So try to carry some sort of over-sized sweater with you, just in case. A lightweight jacket would be a good choice too.

Your outfit includes hair and makeup, too. Of course, I'm not talking full face of makeup and extravagant hair. But take a moment to brush your hair out (or in my case, take the curlers out), and throw on some concealer, mascara and lipstick. It takes about 10 minutes and makes you feel so much better about yourself.