Binge Drinking the Prior Night May Not Affect GRE Scores

A new study has found that, contrary to conventional wisdom, binge drinking the night before a major test may not affect performance. Scholars at Boston University and Brown University tested 193 university students, ages 21 to 24, from the Boston area. Volunteer participants received either regular beer or nonalcoholic beer. The morning after, participants were given the practice versions of the Graduate Record Examination, as well as a mock quiz on an academic lecture they attended the previous afternoon. The study found that participants scored no differently on the GREs, or on the quizzes, whether they had consumed alcoholic or nonalcoholic beer.