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Does classical music really help you focus?

19 November 2018, 12:45 | Updated: 26 April 2019, 10:33

A number of academic studies have concluded that Mozart, Beethoven and Bach are ideal companions for your revision schedule. We do not disagree.

Are you struggling with revision?

Calm down. Classical music is here to help you pass everything*

*not a guarantee.

Here are some suggestions for music to listen to and reasons why it'll help you to focus, relax, study and basically get through this most traumatic period in life.

Bach opens your mind

Like, really opens your mind. Bach's intricate patterns and gradually unfolding textures are the perfect soundtrack to a little brain expansion. Go for something like the Goldberg Variations to maximise your brain's ability to take everything in.

It helps you relax and take more info in

Some well-chosen snippets of classical music can put you in a more positive and relaxed frame of mind, all the better to either calm you down from exam stress or make you more receptive to new information. Here's something relaxing to prove it:

Even science says it helps you concentrate

Besides the controversy over whether or not The Mozart Effect is actually 'a thing' these days, the scientific community generally agrees that if you're revising, classical music is the one for you.

In fact, a study in a French university showed that when students listened to a lecture with classical music playing in the background, they remembered more information than a comparable group of students who took the lecture in silence.