Could you smell your way to success between now and Exam Day? Well it seems you just may be able to do that.
Prepping for the CFA exam is a long and grueling process. And success comes from managing a whole lifestyle, with curriculum study at the core.
At this stage of the game candidates are looking for every tip and trick that will make review effective and exam day calm and productive. To satisfy demand for the tricks, we scoured the research on your nose and learning. While we were at it, we looked to see if colors and sound could boost academic achievement.
Feeding your senses can help you study better and perform better in a few weeks!
Smell
Jasmine is good for more than romantic little inns. Injected or inhaled, the fragrance generates a calming effect. In fact, after observing mice behavior in a Plexiglas cage filled with the fragrance – and seeing the mice ceased all activity and sat quietly in the corner – researchers looked into the chemical makeup. At high concentrations, the jasminoides have the same molecular influence on behavior and are as strong as barbituates or propofol.
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Why and when use it:
Since jasmine can relax and induce sleep, it’s important. Good sleep is critical to good study. And it’s not easy. With the extra load of studying on top of busy lives and anxiety on exam day, sleep can be elusive. Showing up fresh and rested on exam day gives you a real advantage. Jasmine fragrance near your bedside could give you that advantage.
As go out to buy this should know that more than five million flowers must be gathered to produce one kilo of what is known as “pure jasmine absolute”. As a result, much of the jasmine used in perfume is a chemical approximation. And affordable! (Available in natural departments in grocery stores, health food stores and many online retailers)
How it works:
For you skeptics, here’s a summary of that jasmine study. Mice in Plexiglas cages were surrounded by the fragrance. As their cages grew perfumed, the mice stopped all activity and luxuriated in one corner. Turns out as the scent molecules go from the lungs into the blood and then transmitted from there to the brain, electrophysiological measurements of neurons in the brain areas responsible for the sleep-wake cycle showed that the nerve cells active in sleep were enhanced by the fragrances.
If sleep eludes you during the prep, smell jasmine instead of taking sleeping pills. The good-smelling flower has no side effects while sedatives, sleeping pills, and relaxants can cause depression, dizziness, hypertension, muscle weakness and impaired coordination.
Color
In the old days, schools walls were painted the olive green and khaki tan same as prison walls. Based on tall piles of research of effectiveness, both walls and furniture in schools are now colorful. You can put that research to use to succeed in your current educational quest.
Green
Green is an excellent color for improving concentration. Low wavelength colors promote restfulness and calm, and they improve efficiency and focus.
See Green when you are on your longer study sessions and for intense focus during review.
Orange
Orange is a mood lifter. Some researchers think an environment infused with the color orange actually increases blood supply to the brain. The extra oxygen leads to feeling invigorated and getting ready to ‘get things done.’ Some scientists are going so far as to recommend that test centers be painted orange.
When anxiety or distraction levels are high, go for a less intense hue of orange as it can be overstimulating!
Blue
Research suggests that a blue environment aids people with highly intellectual work, which requires a high cognitive load, for instance, programmers or academics or CFA candidates.
Blue is best used for learning situations which are challenging. Blue paper, blue ink, or blue highlighting can be used to help improve reading comprehension too.
Red
Red is tricky. This color has been shown to decrease intellectual performance, and both teachers and students are best advised to avoid red in evaluative contexts.
Except for true extroverts.
Our clients know that we design special programs for the extroverts among us because the average CFA charter holder is introverted. For the average candidate, you want to avoid red clothes, folders, or coffee cups. But wearing red to study and on exam day can provide a significant edge for the few true extroverts among you.
Why and When to Use Colors:
Green shows some interesting results. Some studies have shown that people who work in green offices have higher rates of job satisfaction, and consumers have been shown to spend more time shopping in stores that are painted green. So put green everywhere in your study space — clothing, folder covers, even frame a green piece of paper and hang on the wall over your study desk.
Orange can be wildly stimulating or simply be a mood lift but still be soothing. Vary the brightness and saturation of the hue. Go for a bold, deep orange for boosting energy. Think of late-night studying or after a long day at work. A bright orange water bottle could add a needed jolt of energy. Lighter shades could support a mood lift that is so helpful during the review process. Imagine lighter orange sticky notes on books make for a day brightener.
Blue promotes high levels of thought. Since that’s what the CFA program is all about, use blue folders for notes throughout the study cycle.
Since red has negative impact in most academic settings, take red out of everything. Except for you extroverts. You’ll thrive with the color of threat and dominance around your study space, and also on exam day.
(Colors for printing on your own here.)
How It Works:
Interestingly enough there’s some real scientific evidence behind these suggestions.
Green for instance improved concentration and resulted in fewer errors in one study. 150 university students were given a boring, monotonous task that dragged their attention span to a breaking point, pressing a series of numbers over and over as they read off a computer screen. The students were told not to press keys when the number three appeared on the screen. During break time half the of group viewed a green roof, while the others looked out onto a bare concrete roof. The green group had a ‘restorative experience’ researchers hypothesized, which helped boost the mental resources of the students involved in the study.
Orange is used in online education to emphasize a feature or piece of content on the screen. The bright warm color increases learners’ attention levels. But, because of its energy and brightness, orange can be an overwhelming choice. Use orange in small doses.
Red is harmful to academic pursuits but useful in sports. They’ve even found that red increased memory for negative words while green increased memory for positive words. But red-wearing competitors win more bouts than blue-wearing competitors, with red-wearing competitors winning 55% of bouts. In the learning environment, this has a negative effect because it seems to facilitate thoughts related to failure and inhibit those related to success.
Sound
Does studying in the quiet or with some background noise make for better learning and comprehension? Could music make you learn better or easier? Of the senses, this is the least studied. There are some theories and a few studies.
The studies that have been conducted suggests that music can be a disruption or a distraction. In general, melodies disrupt short term memory. The study concluded that reading in silence is better for comprehension than reading to music.
But if you’re going to study with music, do it often. Research suggests that the more you study with music, the less disruptive it is.
Again, there is a marked difference for extroverts. People who are highly social could do better with a consistent level of background noise.
There’s another theory that you might use. Research has proven that our memories most easily recalled are those around emotional events, or with emotional content. If you have a favorite music that puts you in a good mood this could be a boost to recall as you relate material you memorize with a good feeling.
Why and When to Use It:
Exploring use of music isn’t something you want to take time to experiment with during the remaining review weeks. But if you’re in a bad mood, try listening to this favorite mood-lifting music on breaks. Notice if you are better able to concentrate and recall when you return to the books.
But as you begin prep for your next level, try different tunes and levels of background noise as you start out. Be watchful and see if you have good results with these suggestions.
How you think and how you feel are the major factors leading to success on exam day. Your experience is created through your senses. These suggestions might just give your experience of studying and experience of exam day the needed boost.
Binaural Beats to Improve Memory
Good luck and onward to your next level!!!!
About Candidate Success: We developed the Candidate Success Package© so more candidates receive You Passed when results arrive in the mail. The package is an assessment with comparison against the norm of investment professionals, paired with a coaching session that lets you talk through concerns and relieves doubts. Founded by Cynthia Harrington, CFA, former fund manager and award winning journalist, the CSP has a high success rate and an even higher satisfaction rate. Prepping for the CFA© exam does not have to be painful.
(Want to know how effective your current study approach is? Take a 2-minute survey and get your score.)
(Candidates who study together pass together. Try our free matching service to find your passing partner.)
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