If you're applying to graduate school you may be groaning at the thought of taking yet another standardized test, and wondering to what lengths you should go to prep for it. If you're smart (which I'm guessing you must be) you'll want to optimize your score without wasting your time. That's where brain training comes in.
The GRE, MCAT and LSAT tests try to assess and measure your problem-solving, logical, and analytical abilities. These skills demand a high level of fluid or innate intelligence and have little to do with question practice or test strategies. For a long time it was thought that fluid intelligence was fixed and immutable, but researchers have now shown that you can increase your fluid intelligence and general problem-solving ability with the right kind of brain training.
A team from the Universities of Michigan and Bern have demonstrated that we can increase our fluid intelligence by training our working-memory. The scientists devised a novel training protocol that progressively stretches and strengthens visual and aural working-memory with a single exercise. With just 19 days of training, the fluid intelligence scores for each person in the trained group increased by at least 40% more than those in a control group. This kind of cognitive improvement will lead to a significant benefit for anyone taking a graduate school entry test.
The other good news is that the team only published its research findings in April 2008, and so far most of your graduate-school competitors won't be tuned in to this new test prep method. And whereas typical test prep helps you increase your test scores but won't help you do better in school, this novel working-memory training boosts your attention and general problem-solving ability leading to overall enhancement in your thinking.
But before you rush off to buy brain training software, make sure you're looking for the right kind. The working-memory training protocol used in the study is called "dual n-back" working-memory training. (To make your search easier, and in the interest of full disclosure, I was so inspired by the team's findings that I incorporated the dual n-back training method into the Mind Sparke brain training software, Brain Fitness Pro.)
With the economy reeling and the job market becoming increasingly tight, improving your marketability with an advanced degree is a smart move. Training your working-memory to prepare your mind for the rigors of standardized tests and graduate school classes is doubly smart.
Author Resource:
Oxford-trained scientist, author, and technologist, Martin G. Walker is a member of The British Neuroscience Association, Learning and The Brain, and MENSA. His company Mind Evolve, LLC publishes free information on the field of neuroscience and brain training as well as effective and affordable brain fitness software under the brand name Mind Sparke.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")