The Top Spotify Playlists for Relieving Test Anxiety

Imagine yourself in this scenario. You’re in a large lecture hall packed with students, all scribbling away on paper. The scratch of led pencils is the only sound you hear in the otherwise dead silent room. A professor is scanning the rows of desks while teacher assistants are up at the front. The person next to you puts away their pencil, grabs their backpack, and hands in their exam to a TA, confident they aced it. Meanwhile, you are holding back, kicking yourself for forgetting the information needed to answer a topic that keeps repeating itself. You then realize you’re the only one left, and time is up.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever felt test anxiety to the point where you forget the information you’ve been studying for weeks? You’re not alone. It’s happened to the very best of the best of us. To find a way to ease test anxiety, researchers from prestigious universities sought out solutions for students, all reaching the same conclusion. Students who exhibited the least amount of test anxiety were ones that studied with music. Here’s why.

Effects of Music and Grade Consequences on Test Anxiety and Performance

In a research paper from Texas State University, authors Jennifer L. Lilley, Crystal D. Oberle, and Jon G. Thompson, Jr. studied the cognitive effects music has on a person’s mind with regards to exam performance. A pool of 80 undergraduate students participated in the study; 60 women and 20 men ranging from ages 17 to 26. The students listened to calm music five minutes before taking a math test. Their blood pressure and heart rate were measured then compared against listening to obnoxious music before the math test. From the data, researchers concluded, “A student who listens to an artist or playlist of choice prior to a testing situation, anxiety due to the grade consequence has the possibility to be reduced if not temporarily muted. The student then has the chance to experience a more effective and efficient study period and to possibly perform better on the exam.”

How to make music beneficial to your studying

As concluded in the study above, the type of music you listen to while studying matters. Music that puts you in a good mood is preferred. When you are in a good mood, you are calm and have an easier time remembering information. Listening to soothing music already relaxes the mind, so it is in your best interest to use it while studying. One drawback students report is if they listen to music while taking a test, it can hurt you in the future when you are not allowed to listen to music. If you study by quizzing yourself with classmates, it’s best to practice doing so in a quiet environment.

Top Spotify playlists to bookmark for studying

Below are some of the highest-rated Spotify lists that students recommend while studying. They are relaxing, instrumental playlists that run from anywhere between an hour to six hours. 

• Trabajo Relax 
• Deep Focus
• House Focus 
• Totally Stress Free
• All-Nighter
• Music For Concentration
• Peaceful Guitar
• Instrumental Study
• Brain Food 
• Most Relaxing Songs Ever

These Spotify playlists, along with our Maximizing Memory course, are what you need to create better study habits. You’ll learn other techniques that help will you to recall information better. These are life-long lessons that can apply to your professional career awaiting you when until you graduate. Click the link to find out more!