I often get lots of anxiety and stress over exams. No matter how much I’ve studied for a test, I always almost end up cramming information at the last minute. And, as a student with an extra time accommodation (see my article on disability accommodations for more details on these), my exams end up being 3 to 4 hours long! To make matters worse, they’re nearly always in the evening. I wish someone would tell my professors that no one likes late-night exams, ugh! Anyway, these are really hard to get through without feeling anxious, tired, and drowsy, so I have tried several different strategies to keep my energy and mood up on exam day. One that has proven particularly effective is listening to loud and upbeat music on the way to my tests. It energizes me and gets me feeling happy and hyped up for work. I’m usually a soft pop girl, so this kind of music is a little out of the box for me, but I’ve managed to find a few go-to’s. Here is my pre-exam hype playlist for your consideration:
- I Like It – Cardi B
- Bad Girls – M.I.A (please don’t judge…)
- Falling – Trevor Daniel
- Good As Hell – Lizzo
- Stay – The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber
- because I liked a boy – Sabrina Carpenter (a little less upbeat, but the chorus just does something to a person)
- All The Stars – Kendrick Lamar, SZA
- Bad At Love – Halsey
- Industry Baby – Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow