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

Superstitions Before the Exam

Do not get a haircut or shave 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 your left heel under your right heel for luck (it used to be under the right one, but students got it wrong). Get up with your left foot — to failure (that's why they try to get up with 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 doorframe before entering the classroom. Enter showing the teacher your back (so he doesn't curse you). Do not look back or around during the exam.

Good Luck Superstitions

Catch "freebie" the night before the exam: stick out your checkmark at 12 o'clock at night and shout "Freebie, come on!". Catch the checkmark back and hold it in a book. Meet a pregnant woman before the exam — to luck. stumble on a flat spot — to a double. See a black cat — go around it or spit over your left shoulder.

If the teacher sets a grade and says "sit down" — to a good mark. If he is silent — to a retest.

What Students Fear

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

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

Rational Kernel

Rituals reduce anxiety. When you do something familiar (for example, place your heel), your brain calms down. Self-suggestion works: if you believe in the omen, your confidence increases, and the exam goes better. Some omens are useful: "do not get a haircut" — so as not to be distracted by the barber. "Do not wash your head" — so as not to oversleep (washing relaxes). "Sleep on the 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 it or not, the ritual helps. The main thing is not to rely solely on the omen, but to study the tickets. Then and only then will luck fly, and the heel under the heel will work.

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