Quick Answers
Here are some quick answers to common questions about what to drink before an exam:
- Water – Stay hydrated by drinking water before and during your exam.
- Coffee/tea – Caffeine can help boost alertness and focus, but don’t overdo it.
- Fruit juice – The natural sugar can help provide a quick energy boost.
- Sports drinks – Electrolytes can help prevent dehydration and fatigue.
- Avoid alcohol – Alcohol can impair cognitive function and cause drowsiness.
Exams can be stressful experiences that require extended periods of intense mental focus and concentration. Being well hydrated and avoiding fatigue during an exam is important for maintaining peak mental performance. The beverages that you choose to drink before an exam can have a significant impact on energy levels, alertness, and focus.
In this article, we will explore some of the best and worst beverage choices for pre-exam hydration and energy. Key factors to consider include effects on hydration, energy and alertness, stress and anxiety levels, digestive symptoms, and overall nutrition. By making smart decisions about your pre-exam beverage choices, you can help support your body and mind to perform at their best during test-taking.
Water
One of the most important things you can do before an exam is to stay well hydrated. Dehydration can negatively impact mental acuity, energy levels, and performance. Aim to drink plenty of water in the days leading up to your test, and continue sipping water up until the exam begins.
Water is the best no-calorie beverage choice for hydration. It provides pure H2O without sugars, calories, or additives. For pre-exam hydration, experts often recommend drinking around 16 ounces (500 ml) of water in the 2-3 hours before your exam. Avoid guzzling water right beforehand, which could make you get up to use the restroom during the test. Instead, spread out your water intake steadily.
Benefits of Drinking Water Before an Exam
- Prevents dehydration and related fatigue
- Boosts mental acuity and cognitive function
- Keeps energy levels from flagging during long exams
- Avoids hyponatremia (dangerously low sodium levels) from drinking too much water
Coffee and Tea
Many students rely on caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea to help them feel energized and focused for exam time. The mild stimulant effects of caffeine can boost alertness, reaction time, vigilance, and mood.
Most experts recommend limiting caffeine intake to no more than 100-200 mg in the 1-2 hours before an exam. This is equal to around 1-2 small cups of coffee or 2-4 cups of tea. Too much caffeine can backfire by causing nervousness, anxious feelings, and digestive issues.
When drinking coffee or tea pre-exam, go easy on sugar and cream additions. The fat in cream can slow digestion, while added sugars cause blood sugar spikes and crashes. It’s best to drink coffee and tea unsweetened, or just lightly sweeten with a small teaspoon of sugar.
Benefits of Drinking Coffee/Tea Before an Exam
- Provides moderate stimulant effect
- Boosts alertness, vigilance, reaction time
- Improves mood and relieves tiredness
- Tea offers hydration and antioxidants
Potential Drawbacks
- Excess intake can cause anxiety, jitters
- Frequent urination from caffeine and fluids
- Caffeine crash may occur after effects wear off
- Can irritate digestive system
Fruit Juice
Fruit juice offers a nutritional beverage choice that provides key vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants along with natural fruit sugars. The carbohydrate content offers a quick energy boost from easily digested sugars.
Good fruit juice options include orange, grapefruit, apple, or cranberry juice. Limit juice to around 4-8 ounces, and avoid drinking large amounts. Too much sugar and fluid before a test can result in an energy crash later.
For less concentrated sugars, dilute your juice by mixing equal parts 100% fruit juice and water. Avoid juice “drinks” with added sugar. Also limit milk and creamy fruit smoothies which are harder to digest.
Benefits of Drinking Fruit Juice Before an Exam
- Natural fruit sugar boosts energy quickly
- Vitamins and antioxidants
- Hydration
- Healthier source of carbohydrates than sugary drinks
Potential Drawbacks
- Sugar crash can occur after initial spike
- Excessive fluid may increase bathroom needs
- Easy to drink too many calories, leading to fatigue
Sports Drinks
Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade can provide hydration with added carbohydrates and electrolytes. For longer testing sessions of 3+ hours, a sports drink may help prevent dehydration, fatigue, and drops in blood sugar.
Sports drinks contain around 6-8% carbohydrate, which is absorbed quickly to provide fuel for muscles and the brain. The electrolytes sodium and potassium help maintain fluid balance and nerve function.
To avoid an upset stomach when drinking a sports beverage before an exam, limit intake to 8-12 ounces sipped over time. You can also dilute a sports drink by half with water.
Benefits of Drinking Sports Drinks Before an Exam
- Hydration with electrolyte replacement
- Carbohydrates for energy
- May boost mental acuity
Potential Drawbacks
- High in added sugars
- Can cause GI distress if consumed in excess
- Most beneficial for long testing sessions rather than 1-hour exams
High-Protein Drinks
Drinks high in protein like shakes, dairy milk, and soy milk may help to control hunger before an exam. Protein is digested slower, providing a prolonged feeling of fullness.
However, high fat and protein drinks are not ideal right before an exam. They require longer digestion times and can leave you feeling sluggish. If drinking milk or a protein shake, have it 2-3 hours prior to your test.
Benefits of High-Protein Drinks Before an Exam
- Protein, vitamins, and minerals from dairy milk
- Prolonged feeling of fullness
- Soy milk offers protein without the fat
Potential Drawbacks
- Can cause abdominal discomfort, gas, and bloating
- May leave you feeling too full or sluggish
- High-fat dairy may impact cognitive function
Soda/Soft Drinks
Carbonated soft drinks like colas have no nutritional benefit and contain high amounts of caffeine, sugars, and additives. The combination of caffeine and sugar may initially boost energy levels. But you’ll likely experience an even bigger crash as caffeine and sugar wear off.
Artificial sweeteners in diet sodas can also cause digestive issues. The carbonation can lead to bloating and discomfort. Sparkling waters without sugar may be a better option for carbonation without additives.
Most nutrition experts strongly advise against drinking soda, even diet soda, right before an important exam. The inevitable energy crash coupled with frequent bathroom trips makes soft drinks one of the worst choices.
Potential Drawbacks of Drinking Soda Before an Exam
- Caffeine and sugar cause energy spikes and crashes
- Frequent urination from excess fluid, caffeine and carbonation
- Impaired concentration as sugar rush wears off
- Artificial sweeteners can cause GI upset
Energy Drinks
Energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar contain extremely high amounts of caffeine and added sugars that can quickly backfire when consumed before an exam. Just one 8-ounce energy drink may pack a caffeine jolt of around 80 mg, along with 30+ grams of added sugars.
This powerful stimulant effect can boost energy and concentration temporarily. But it is almost always followed by a hard crash as the caffeine and sugar wear off. Agitation, shakes, and heart palpitations are other common side effects of consuming energy drinks before exams.
Energy drinks make it very difficult to avoid the need for frequent bathroom breaks throughout your test. Stick to beverages with moderate caffeine rather than excessively strong energy drink formulations.
Potential Drawbacks of Energy Drinks
- Excessive caffeine causes agitation, anxiety, jitters
- High potential for energy crashes after initial spike
- Large amounts of added sugars
- Frequent urination
- GI distress, nausea, diarrhea
Alcoholic Beverages
Alcohol is one of the worst choices you can make when it comes to pre-exam beverages. Alcohol acts as a depressant on the brain that can significantly impair cognitive function and motor skills for many hours after drinking.
Even small amounts of alcohol can impact problem-solving abilities, alertness, focus, and memory recall during an exam. Mental acuity starts becoming impaired with just one or two drinks.
Consuming alcohol also reduces the restorative quality of your sleep on exam eve. Steer clear of alcoholic beverages in the 24+ hours leading up to your test for the best mental performance.
Potential Drawbacks of Drinking Alcohol
- Impairs focus, memory, alertness, judgment
- Reduces quality of sleep before test day
- Causes frequent urination during exam
- Contributes empty calories without nutrition
- Can increase anxiety despite initial relaxation effect
What to Avoid
Here are some beverage choices you’ll want to avoid before your exam:
- Energy drinks – Too much added caffeine and sugar
- Soda – Sugar crash waiting to happen
- Alcohol – Impairs cognitive and motor abilities
- Large amounts of juice – Spikes blood sugar
- Heavy cream additions – Slows digestion
- Excessive water – Risk of hyponatremia
What to Drink Instead
Here are better pre-exam beverage choices:
- Water – Hydrates without extra calories or caffeine
- Coffee/tea – Moderate caffeine boost
- Diluted fruit juice – Light sugar and hydration
- Sports drinks – Electrolytes and easy energy for long tests
- Sparkling water – Provides carbonation without sugar
Tips for Choosing the Best Pre-Exam Drinks
Here are some helpful tips for selecting beverages to drink before your next big exam:
- Get fully hydrated in the days leading up to your test.
- Avoid heavy fluids like milk, creamy smoothies, and high-fiber juices.
- Limit caffeine to a moderate dose of 100-200mg from coffee or tea.
- Have a light breakfast with protein an hour or two pre-exam.
- Sip water throughout the test to stay hydrated.
- Skip the energy drinks, soda, and alcohol which impair functioning.
- Stick to familiar beverages to avoid an upset stomach.
- Bring water and a snack like an energy bar or fruit in case the exam runs long.
How Caffeine Affects Exam Performance
Caffeine has complex effects on the body and brain that can influence exam performance both positively and negatively depending on dose. Here is an overview of how caffeine impacts mental functioning before a test:
| Caffeine Dose (mg) | Effects |
|---|---|
| 0-50mg | Minimal effects, normal variation in alertness |
| 50-100mg | Mild increase in wakefulness, vigilance, reaction time |
| 100-200mg | Moderate improvement in focus, concentration, energy |
| 200-300mg | High alertsness but onset of more anxious feelings |
| >300mg | Jitters, agitation, heart palpitations, GI upset |
Most experts recommend sticking to around 100-200mg caffeine from coffee or tea for optimal exam functioning without significant side effects.
Conclusion
Your beverage choices leading up to and during your exam can have noticeable impacts on mental energy, stamina, focus, and performance. Water should be your go-to pre-exam beverage for hydration. Coffee and tea offer a moderate caffeine boost for alertness. Fruit juices provide quick carbohydrates but shouldn’t be over-consumed. Sports drinks can help replenish electrolytes and energy during long exams.
Avoid drinking excessive caffeine, sugar or carbonation that can lead to crashes later during your test. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum as well to avoid residual effects on your mental acuity. Pay attention to how specific beverages impact your physical and mental state before exams to determine your best individual choices.
With smart pre-exam hydration and fueling strategies, you can give yourself a better chance to maintain the sustained energy, stamina and mental performance needed to succeed.
