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Best Energy Drinks For An Exam (Revealed)

When you’re working on a paper or studying for an exam, you will need an adequate boost to ensure you’ll see it through the end. If you need an extra kick to get to the finish line, you might start turning to energy drinks

In times like these, you can never go wrong with Red Bull, G-Fuel, Monster, and Rockstar. They contain the kick and the ingredients to push you through that study session!

For a more detailed explanation of why these drinks are helpful when preparing for a quiz, read on!

Do Energy Drinks Actually Work?

Depending on individual caffeine and sugar tolerances, people may react differently to energy drinks. However, an average one containing around 100mg of caffeine will surely have you raring to go.

Usually, you’d know if the energy drinks are working if you notice an increase in your heart rate, you feel less fatigued, and you feel refreshed all of a sudden.

Depending on your individual metabolism, the effects of the energy drink can vary. For some, it lasts 3-4 hours while for others, the effects may last a shorter or longer period. 

How To Select The Best Energy Drink For An Exam

When considering which brand of energy drink is best suited for your needs, you should mainly check two of its components. These are caffeine and sugar ingredients.

Selecting the best energy drink based on these criteria will be much easier.

Caffeine Content

A student should pay attention to the caffeine content of an energy drink when choosing one for an exam. Make sure the energy drink you select contains a reasonable amount of caffeine.

Scattered coffee beans
Caffeine is obtained from coffee beans

For me, the optimal caffeine content of energy drinks is 50 to 100mg per serving. However, each individual is unique when it comes to caffeine tolerance.

What may be good for me may not be best suited for you. You may choose to drink higher doses of caffeine, but just make sure you’re still within the limit.

Caffeine consumption should be limited to 400mg per day, according to the FDA.

However, keep in mind that a greater caffeine intake doesn’t always mean a stronger energy boost. High doses of caffeine can cause serious side effects, including:

Moreover, caffeine-packed energy drinks can make you feel restless. So it’s best to drink only what you can take to avoid any pre-exam anxiety.

If you’re looking for energy drinks without the jitters, I’ve made a list for you.

Sugar

If you’re deciding between two energy drinks, your biggest concern should be the sugar content.

Although there are sugar-free energy drinks available, most contain a lot of sugar. The short-term energy boost you get from sugar is great, however, too much can give you negative side effects such as:

According to the AHA, it is recommended that healthy male adults consume no more than 37.5g of sugar and no more than 25g for women a day.

Could you imagine how exhausting and difficult it would be to feel energized at the beginning of your exam, only to feel exhausted halfway through?

Well, this is the effect of too much sugar so making a wise decision in choosing your energy drink is crucial.

If you are looking for a more sustained energy boost that helps you get through your exam, pick an energy drink that has reasonable amounts of sugar.

However, if you have a sweet tooth, choose one that contains just the right amount of caffeine. This ensures that you won’t excessively consume either substance, while still being able to keep your preference.

How can I boost my energy before an exam?

Exam jitters may be caused by too little sleep or too much sun exposure. Even ten minutes spent outdoors, first thing in the morning, may do wonders for your motivation.

While the morning sun is wonderful, evening light may have serious consequences. In particular, artificial light of the “blue” kind, such as that produced by screens. It’s recommended that you unplug from electronics at least one hour before bedtime.

How can I get my mind working before an exam?

Students must attend the test hall with a clear head, thus getting enough sleep the night before is crucial. Get between seven and nine hours of sleep the night before the test to help you perform better.

However, if you don’t get enough shut-eye, you may find yourself mentally tired and unable to focus, which may hinder your productivity.

What should I do 1 hour before an exam?

An hour before a test, try to unwind as much as possible. A single hour of studying is not going to help you much in the test.

In principle, cramming an hour before an exam may help you retain knowledge long enough to get by on what you’ve learned. However, this approach is unlikely to help you create long-term associations with the material or get a thorough comprehension of the subject.

The Best Energy Drinks For Exams

Here are a few of our best energy drinks for exams:

Red Bull Energy Drink

Energy drinks like Red Bull are among the most popular around the globe. Red Bull has 80mg of caffeine in a can, which I personally think is just the right amount!

Also, it does not seem too expensive to buy Red Bull. Unlike many other energy drinks, this is definitely cheaper at around $2 for an 8.4 fl. oz can.

Its sugar content, however, is too high in my opinion. Still, something sweet can impact you positively before your exams.

27 grams of sugar is definitely excessive, but if you drink Red Bull in half amounts then you’re in for a good exam time!

Red Bull Energy Drink Can
Red Bull Energy Drink

You can also consider getting the sugar-free version of Red Bull instead of the regular one if you’re not keen on something sweet before taking a test.

Bottomline is, Red Bull have what it takes to stimulate the brain and provide you with energy and focus to Ace that exams!

G Fuel

Before you can drink G fuel you need to mix the powdered beverage with water. It is a compact powdered energy drink you can easily bring to the examination room.

Since G fuel does not contain sugar, you won’t face sugar crashes. If you’re experiencing a sugar crash during an exam, you’ll likely feel too tired to function and end up unfocused.

In addition, G Fuel costs around $1 per serving which is really budget-friendly!

One serving of G-Fuel contains 150mg of caffeine. This may be higher than my usual recommendation of about 50 to 100 mg, but it’s well worth it.

This amount of caffeine is not really that high compared to other brands in the market. I’d say this is just the exact amount you’ll need if you want your brain to focus well and tune in on acing the test.

Monster Energy Drink

A single can of Monster consists of 176 mg of caffeine, 54 grams of sugar, and 190 calories. It definitely has the kick and the sugar to keep you wide awake and brimming with energy to tackle the exam season.

You’d be able to have about 2.5 cans of Monster if you took the FDA-recommended daily amount of caffeine. Still, I won’t recommend it as one can is plenty enough!

The flavor of this energy drink is one of the things people enjoy most – I enjoy them particularly because I’m fond of Pop Rocks and Otter Pops. What’s more?

It also has hints of apple flavor that I’m sure you’ll enjoy when taking a sip during exam breaks.

Monster has the potential to be a study aid supplement that is available in over 30 flavors and 8 product lines. To help you find the right flavor option, here’s an in-depth review of what they’re offering:

Review of Every Monster Energy Drink Flavor

Rockstar Energy Drink

Energy drinks such as Rockstar are one of the oldest ones, which means that it already has a reputation to back it up.

In addition to having a variety of products, they also have ingredients with more nutrients than your average energy supplement. 

With 160 mg of caffeine and 31 grams of sugar, it can help you focus more during an exam.

You can see that Rockstar knows what they are doing by simply looking at their ingredient list. It also has a variety of vitamins and nutrients helpful if you’re looking for a healthy exam beverage!

Here is an article about the nutrients in a Rockstar can, you might want to check it out.

Other Energy Drink Alternatives

If you’re still eager to explore your options, then there are other brands you can try:

Other noteworthy mentions

Conclusion

When taking an exam, the best thing to do is to get ready as much as possible and to have adequate sleep. Energy drinks merely exist to provide support, and if you’re tired during the test, then they may even do more harm than good.

Choose the right energy drink for your needs and preference – I’d recommend looking for the kind that is compatible with you to a tee!

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