There’s no escaping it: back to school also means back to test taking. And some students just aren’t as good at taking exams as others. “My teenage son recently took AP exams for college,” recalls psychonutritionist Shawn Talbott, Ph.D. “It reminded me that to succeed during exams, students need to get in the zone and stay in the zone. That’s the same mental edge needed by video gamers to advance in their competitions.”

Talbott says some students choke on tests because they have trouble staying focused. “They need good focus from the beginning to end of the best period. And whether it’s accessing things they’ve memorized or having a decent reaction time so they get through all the questions in the allotted time, they need to be in the zone.”

Some students, especially those in college, may depend on caffeine but that’s going about it the wrong way. “A small amount of caffeine is great for energy but you’re likely missing something from your preparation that could make you more alert and focused.”

Talbott once worried that video games fried people’s brains. But after he began learning more about his teenage son’s gamer world, he changed his opinion. “I saw a correlation between video gaming and the mental preparations that I might do before running a marathon or competing in an Iron Man triathlon. These same mental preparations can be used before a big exam.”

He elaborates, “Your student’s competitive advantage is about staying focused and energized, so they maintain their performance even as others may start allowing pressure and anxiety to cloud their thinking.”

This video gaming hack may help your student ace exams

As with some video gamers, many students focus only on stimulants such as caffeine to prepare for exams. “Those may end up making you feel so amped up that you’re irritable, anxious and tense. That makes your performance worse!” he warns. “Caffeine alone won’t do it for you. To be in the zone, you also need relaxed alertness so your brain can do its work in a calm, focused, engaged manner.”

Talbott reveals the three-step secret that may enable students to get into the zone and stay there.

Eat a healthy snack to balance your blood sugar levels. “This will help fuel your brain.”

Add a stimulating component to excite brain energy. “This can be something caffeinated such as coffee, tea, energy drinks or soda.”

Add L-theanine, an amino acid naturally occurring in green tea, to achieve an alert, relaxed state. “For this, I like a premium 100% L-theanine called Suntheanine. It promotes alpha waves as opposed to beta waves. Beta waves are associated with tension, irritability and anxiety, and can naturally increase when you drink too much coffee or some energy drinks. Too many beta waves may lead to stress and over-excitement, which may make concentration and focus difficult. The result of the caffeine/L-theanine combo is smooth, balanced energy and focus. L-theanine also decreases the jitters and nausea that sometimes come from consuming too much caffeine.”

Students can use what gamers worldwide are now discovering: the complementary effects of L-theanine and caffeine, which Talbott explains work in different parts of the brain. “You’re activating your “do work” sensor with caffeine and your “calming” sensor with L-theanine to put yourself in the zone.” Talbott says that research has shown a 1:2 ratio of caffeine to Suntheanine may improve cognitive performance as well as your mood.*