Blackout during exams? There is a way to beat it

With the end of the Sukkot holiday and students returning to their studies, the fear of blackouts during exams arises. A brain and memory researcher from Bar-Ilan University explains that this is a temporary retrieval failure due to stress, not a loss of knowledge. He recommends active retrieval practice and simulated exam conditions as coping methods.

With the end of the Sukkot holiday and the return of hundreds of thousands of students to their studies, the fear of blackouts during exams resurfaces. Itai Aniel, a brain and memory researcher from Bar-Ilan University, explains that the phenomenon does not stem from erasing material from memory, but from a temporary retrieval failure caused by stress. Stress activates hormones that affect the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, similar to a book that is on the shelf but the sorting system failed to locate it. Working memory fills with worries and intrusive thoughts, and the attempt to recall by force further overloads resources. The solution lies in an effective learning method: active retrieval practice, known as the 'testing effect', which strengthens the pathways to information and trains the brain to operate under conditions of uncertainty. Additionally, it is recommended to practice under simulated conditions, and if a blackout does occur, move to another question and allow the stress to subside.

Blackout during exams? There is a way to beat it