Before the exam, students do not get a haircut, wash their head, or place their heel under their heel. This is not superstition, but a ritual. Student superstitions and omens are a mix of folk wisdom, psychology, and despair. We tell you about the most popular ones and their scientific justification.

Exam Omens

Do not get a haircut or shave for 3 days before the exam — otherwise you will "cut off your memory." Do not wash your head on the day of the exam — so that knowledge does not wash away. Go to bed with your head on a textbook — knowledge will flow into your brain. Place a coin under the left heel — for luck (it used to be under the right, but students got it wrong). Get up on the left foot — to failure (that's why they try to get up on the right one).

Do not return home after leaving the house — if you forget something, it's better not to take it. Knock three times on the door frame before entering the classroom. Enter, showing the teacher your back (so that he does not put a spell on you). Do not look back or turn around during the exam.

Omens for Luck

Catch "freebie" the night before the exam: stick your head out the window with a check at 12 midnight and shout "Freebie, come!" Catch the check back and hold it in a book. Meet a pregnant woman before the exam — for luck. Trip on a flat surface — for a double. See a black cat — go around it or spit over your left shoulder.

If the teacher gives a grade and says "sit down" — for a good grade. If he is silent — for a retake.

What Students Fear

Show a check before the exam (you will lose luck). Tell others about your preparation (you will be cursed). Sit in the same place where a failing student sat (bad energy). Wear new clothes to the exam (untested luck). Take someone else's cheat sheet (not your own knowledge). Help a neighbor if you have not yet taken the exam yourself (your luck will leave).

Wipe sweat from your face with your left hand (the right one is for knowledge).

Rational Seed

Rituals reduce anxiety. When you do something familiar (for example, place a coin), your brain calms down. Self-suggestion works: if you believe in an omen, your confidence grows, and the exam is passed better. Some omens are useful: "do not get a haircut" — so as not to be distracted by the hairdresser. "Do not wash your head" — so as not to oversleep (washing relaxes). "Sleep on a textbook" — really helps (repetition before sleep improves memory).

So a reasonable skeptic can follow omens, understanding their benefit.

Student omens are not magic, but psychological support. Believe or not, the ritual helps. The main thing is not to rely solely on an omen, but to study the questions. Then and only then will the freebie come, and the coin under the heel will work.

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