Exam season is coming up, but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. If you want to survive, you’re going to need three things: a good pair of headphones, a lot of strong coffee, and a killer playlist. Even better, this one is backed up with science.
Ah, exam season. Even now, the memories of long hours staring at a religious studies revision guide, while those young enough to escape persecution played outside, haven’t quite left me. The first-time terror of GCSE’s, the huge weight of responsibility that came with A-Levels, even the S.A.T’s that you now know didn’t mean anything but at the time felt like life or death.
Even now, gearing up for my second round of university exams, so I’m in this boat with you. However, my usual playlist (a heady mix of folk music, shock rock, Broadway soundtracks and novelty steampunk robots) just isn’t going to cut it.
No, this is serious. This is going to take… Science.
Like any good procrastinator, I decided to dedicate some of my all-important revision time to finding out what you should really be listening to while you work, precisely so you don’t have to. So sit back, grab your caffeinated beverage of choice, and get ready to waste a few minutes of your life preparing for the revision we both know you’re going to put off until the last minute anyway.
It’s either this or watching re-runs of The Big Bang Theory, and at least this is kind of educational.
1. Classical Music, obviously.
Okay, this is an obvious one. Everyone knows they should be listening to classical music while they work, the issue is they don’t know where to start. Most people don’t know their Bach from their Mozart, which can make the whole genre seem intimidating, but there’s really no need to overcomplicate things.
8Tracks is completely free, requires no downloads, and has thousands of classical playlists dedicated to studying. Even better, the playlists are curated by anyone but ranked by staff, so it’s really easy to separate the really good stuff.
My favourite is here, but most likely you’ll soon come across your own. Even better, listening to classical music has the added benefit of making you feel smart, which is basically half the battle.
2. Movie Scores aka Cheat’s Classical №1
Still not convinced? Fair enough. Classical music of the traditional kind isn’t for everybody, but I guarantee that you already have quite the taste for it in your own life. Even if concert hall symphones make you want to fall asleep on your biology text book even more than usual, you’ll still be able to find classical music that makes you feel energised and ready to power through.
This is a great example, as it’s pretty diverse, but this can be as specific as you like. Maybe you want a fantasy playlist that makes you want to slay dragons, play Quidditch and defeat Sauron once and for all? Or maybe the UP soundtrack is the perfect thing to calm down any pre-revision jitters. Whatever your poison, you can harness the mood of the movies that inspire you without having to drop what you’re doing to watch them, although I will admit that can be tempting too.
3. Video Game Soundtracks aka Cheat’s Classic №2
Okay, so maybe “video game soundtracks” is a little bit broad. There are some that are definitely not going to work for you, I cant imagine the Fall Out franchise is going to be much help to you, and Call Of Duty won’t have much to offer either. However, there is one video game whose soundtrack is designed to blend perfectly into your life, because it aims to provide you with an alternative one.
The Animal Crossing music. No, I’m not kidding.
Trying this out revolutionised my study habits. Not only was the nostalgia factor invaluable in giving me a little dopamine boost, but the music itself is perfect. It’s calming and simple, so your brain doesn’t have to spend time in the background trying to work out the complex melodies, and it changes throughout the day, so it will always match your mood exactly.
Best of all, almost all of them are available in super-long loops on YouTube, and you can always use a site like ListenOnRepeat to keep it going indefinitely, making it perfect for all-nighters.
Speaking of Listen On Repeat…
4. Literally Any Song, As Long As It’s On Repeat
I mean, there are some I still wouldn’t recommend, but if listening to Pirate Metal Legends Alestorm is what lets you wind down and focus then I’m not about to judge.
The important thing here is to let your mind get into a state of flow, where you’re barely conscious of time passing. Listening to one song on repeat allows it to fade into the background and help with this, and even tricks you into working for longer as to some degree you lose track of time!
You still want to avoid anything overly complicated, so save the mathcore and freestyle jazz for another day, and it’s better to avoid anything overly brash and in your face. Upbeat and happy is fine, but it should be calm and consistent enough to create an ambiance. Some of my favourites for this are:
Of course, there’s one thing you can listen to that combines the scientific benefits of all the above techniques, and it’s so obvious you won’t be able to believe you didn’t think of it before!
Want to know what it is? You’ll have to click over to Niume to find out.
(Don’t worry, it’s not a scam. I’m a struggling writer and if you click the link I actually get paid for what you’re reading right now, no mess / no fuss involved. You wouldn’t want to deprive me of that now would you?)
I definitely agree that listening to music is very helpful to learning. Classical of course is the obvious choice but I like the other suggestions you have made as well.
When I was studying for my A-levels I had a lot of people tell me that classical music was the best thing to listen to while studying. I never did try it, but some people in my year absolutely swore by it x
Great ideas, I find it easier to concentrate if I have soothing music on in the background. It’s been a long time since my college days so I can’t remember if I listened to music when I studied but it definitely helps me focus now.
I am complete opposite of it. When I study, I want complete silence and music is a big no no. Otherwise if a song stuck in my head, it is very difficult for me to concentrate. 🙂
This is an interesting read. I have music for when I want to sleep but normally just pick a Spotify playlist for concentration – might try the song on repeat option next time!
I have this thing about classical love listening to it when I’m working/writing whatever its so pretty to listen to and helps me remain in a calm place!
I always (and still do) find classical as the best music to learn to. Also when I am writing or even reading, it is the only thing I can listen to or else the words of the song end up in my writing!!
What a great thought process, but I certainly think yes its great whilst studying for exams, but certainly think it can be implied to, writing a blog post, prepping documents for a business meeting too.
I would never have thought of using some of these, but after reading your reasoning and it all makes complete sense. My sister is about to take her GCSEs so I’ll definitely be showing her this post
Loving the idea of video game soundtracks! They certainly can help concentration!
Great ideas! I will be trying some of these out when writing some posts as I love a bit of background music 🙂 x
It depends on what I am writing. Sometimes listening to a playlist helps and other times something like classical helps x
I definitely agree that listening to music is very helpful to learning. Classical of course is the obvious choice but I like the other suggestions you have made as well.
When I was studying for my A-levels I had a lot of people tell me that classical music was the best thing to listen to while studying. I never did try it, but some people in my year absolutely swore by it x
Great ideas, I find it easier to concentrate if I have soothing music on in the background. It’s been a long time since my college days so I can’t remember if I listened to music when I studied but it definitely helps me focus now.
I am complete opposite of it. When I study, I want complete silence and music is a big no no. Otherwise if a song stuck in my head, it is very difficult for me to concentrate. 🙂
My sister was really into listening to the scores from Harry Potter when she was doing her exams… !
i really love to listen to music and all my childrn are music babies x
I love listening to movie scores, you associate them with great memories without feeling too much of a need to sing along x
Hi, I always use music to help me concentrate and always seemed to help me retain information when I had exams 🙂 x
I love listening to movie score as well. They are often so well composed – it better then all the crap you get on the radio. xx
I used to always listen to the radio when I studied for my exams. Even now to really concentrate I put music on! x
This is an interesting read. I have music for when I want to sleep but normally just pick a Spotify playlist for concentration – might try the song on repeat option next time!
Emmie xo
I’m the opposite. Music is a distraction. Especially if a favourite song plays
Music totally distracts me but my husband can’t concentrate without it So interesting
I am so glad that exams are over for me! I used to love listening to music too. It helped me concentrate too!
I have this thing about classical love listening to it when I’m working/writing whatever its so pretty to listen to and helps me remain in a calm place!
I always have to listen to music when I’m working, it helps me concentrate.
Some great tips here. Music really does help you concentrate
I always (and still do) find classical as the best music to learn to. Also when I am writing or even reading, it is the only thing I can listen to or else the words of the song end up in my writing!!
I love studying to music so these are some great suggestions! I also love Spotify’s concentration playlist!
Never thought video game soundtracks would be one to add. Will definitely give it a try.
What a great thought process, but I certainly think yes its great whilst studying for exams, but certainly think it can be implied to, writing a blog post, prepping documents for a business meeting too.
The only time I have listened to classical music is when I was revising and it really helped.
Wow i never thought a video game soundtrack would help anyone study. That is an interesting post.
Ohh video game soundtracks sounds fab!
great post! I heard that music with beta frequencies is also good for the brain when studying…there are lots in YouTube 🙂 x
I find music so distracting, I want to sing or hum along, or get up and dance…
I actually tend to sit in silence if I need to concentrate on something but I think I’ll have to give listening to music a go!
I would never have thought of using some of these, but after reading your reasoning and it all makes complete sense. My sister is about to take her GCSEs so I’ll definitely be showing her this post
oh some great ideas I always have music on in the background when I am blogging it does help me
oh such a nice post ..love all these ideas i will definitely write a post about this too