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Fact or fiction: If you send a group of scuba divers underwater and teach them a list of words, they completely forget them above ground. Make 'em dive back in, though, and their memory is wet and refreshed!

It's a FACT, say a group of scientists who conducted that very experiment to prove that the environment in which you learn and how well you retain that information are directly related.

"People don't understand how important it is that the learning environment and the test environment mirror each other as closely as possible," says Dr. Alan Brown, author of The How To Study Book (Barricade Books, 2000, $10). "Where most students have problems is the physical environment."

If you're thrown for a loop when forced to test in an unfamiliar room -- as is often the case with the SAT for example -- it may not necessarily be all your brain's fault. But wait -- there is a way to give yourself a "home field advantage," even if the testing field isn't at home. Take a trip to the testing site ahead of time, suggests Dr. Brown. "Walk around the building [where the test will be held]. Sit in the classroom for a couple of minutes. At least this way, the Stress of something new -- stress that can interfere with your memory on test day -- can be alleviated."


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Gina LaGuardia is the Editor-in-Chief of The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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