Before study and before examinations

For clear thought, steady nerves and honest work.

St. Thomas Aquinas, who wrote more than most people read, prayed before he studied. The prayers below are for the desk and the examination hall: one to ask for a clear mind before work, one for the morning of the exam, when the work is already done and the nerves take over.

Before Study — the Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom,
origin of all being,
graciously let a ray of Your light penetrate the darkness of my understanding.

Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born:
sin and ignorance.

Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory,
and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally.
Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations,
and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm.

Point out the beginning, direct the progress,
and help in the completion. Amen.

Before an Examination

Lord, I have done what I could,
and now the hour has come.

Steady my hands and quiet my mind.
Let me remember what I have learned,
and read the questions carefully before I answer them.

If I do well, keep me humble.
If I do badly, keep me from despair —
this is one examination, not the measure of my life.

Holy Spirit, be with me in that room. Amen.

About These Prayers

Note what Aquinas asks for: understanding, memory, accuracy, and the ability to express himself well. He does not ask to be spared the work. Prayer before study is not an alternative to study — it is the request that the work already done should be available when it is needed.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, who struggled badly with examinations and passed only by being asked the one question he knew, is the traditional patron of students facing them.