If you're planning on 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 be wishing there was a way to optimize your score without wasting your time. That's where brain training comes in.
The GRE, MCAT and LSAT tests in large part try to assess and measure your problem-solving, logical, and analytical abilities. These skills all make demands on your 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.
Since the study was published less than a year ago most of your fellow test takers won't be aware of it yet. Not only will working-memory training give you an edge on graduate entrance tests it will help you in school, too, by boosting your overall attention and general problem-solving skills.
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 tightening and jobs becoming more competitive, it's smart to increase your marketability with an advanced degree. And with the new findings on working-memory training, it's even smarter to prepare for your graduate entrance test with a good dose of brain training.
The GRE, MCAT and LSAT tests in large part try to assess and measure your problem-solving, logical, and analytical abilities. These skills all make demands on your 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.
Since the study was published less than a year ago most of your fellow test takers won't be aware of it yet. Not only will working-memory training give you an edge on graduate entrance tests it will help you in school, too, by boosting your overall attention and general problem-solving skills.
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 tightening and jobs becoming more competitive, it's smart to increase your marketability with an advanced degree. And with the new findings on working-memory training, it's even smarter to prepare for your graduate entrance test with a good dose of brain training.
About the Author:
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 Software 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.
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