Jimm Dolak is 22, but he still wears his favorite light green, American Eagle polo shirt on important test days when he needs a little extra comfort.

Dolak (senior-mechanical engineering) wore that same polo Oct. 8 while he relaxed over a cup of coffee before taking the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

Extensive studying isn't the only method students use to prepare for major exams like the LSAT and Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Superstitions and rituals are also common, according to a new survey.

From April to October, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions asked 7,961 students about their pretest rituals, and learned about some habits like braiding hair and playing with action figures.

Kaplan Executive Research Director Jeff Olson said the survey evolved after the company heard students discussing their pretest superstitions and rituals. Students said the rituals help and Olson said he thinks they will continue to become more popular.

"We don't endorse any specific technique -- except maybe Superman underwear," Olson said.

Prayer and sleep were among the most common habits -- 11 percent of MCAT takers said a prayer before or during the test, while 8 percent of LSAT students did.

Students also like to wear lucky socks and do boxer impersonations, according to the study.

John Molitoris (graduate-medicine) said he wore a favorite shirt the day he took the MCAT. But both Molitoris and Dolak said their wardrobe choices didn't necessarily guarantee any luck.

"It wasn't anything superstitious, just a favorite at the time," Molitoris said.

Molitoris said he's heard of students who use the same pen to take the test and study, hoping their knowledge will transfer over.

For Penn State students, sleep medication and relaxing bubble baths helped them on tests; they also like to wear the same outfit that they wore during successful practice tests.

One response read, "iPod, latte, yoga!"

After taking the MCAT, another student said, "Eating a big meal with a beer before going to bed the night before really helps for sleep."

Olson said other national responses approached the test from an athlete's point of view. Singing school fight songs, throwing punches and jumping around seemed to help many test takers. "It's natural for people dealing with anxiety to perform comfort rituals," Olson said. "The number one thing that helps is to study hard. But we do think it helps students to bring familiar routines into the test."

Robert Mitchell, a Penn State biology professor and premedicine program director, said he's dealt with thousands of Penn State medical students over 25 years and has never heard of students using rituals to prepare.

Neither has Dwight Davis, the College of Medicine's associate admissions and student affairs dean. "I'm sure that students [have] their own unique method to prepare," he said.

Matt Johnson (senior-political science) said he didn't recall using any superstitions to prepare for the LSAT.

"I just kind of treated it as a midterm," he said.