With the PSAT approaching on October 19, millions of teens across the country are prepping for the first step of their college admissions journey. A Kaplan survey of more than 400 teens who are preparing for the PSAT* revealed that when prepping for the test, many students’ music preferences run decidedly old school: the most popular genre of test prep music among teens surveyed is classical, with several students citing Mozart as their favorite study buddy. The second most popular response to the question “What song/artist would you play to motivate or calm you in prepping for a test?” was “none/no music,” as many teens opt for quiet while studying. Among more current artists, the most frequently-cited test prep music choices were Eminem, Drake and Twenty One Pilots.

“Depending on the individual, studying with music can be calming, motivating or distracting, so we recommend students find whichever works best for them,” said Lee Weiss, Vice President of College Admissions Programs for Kaplan Test Prep. “What’s important is that they stay motivated, calm and focused.”

To fuel themselves, teens turn to popcorn, chips, Cheetos and chocolate, which were the most-cited study snacks of choice. Also popular among PSAT preppers: pizza, pretzels, Goldfish and Skittles. For hydration, students also went with a classic choice: water is the overwhelming favorite beverage among PSAT teens -- cited about four times as much as soda or coffee.

Weiss cautions against sugary snacks that can cause blood glucose levels to fluctuate, which can result in lethargy, irritability and fatigue, and recommends that students opt for high-protein snacks instead. He also recommends students plan their study sessions ahead of the test to avoid last-minute cramming: “The night before a big test should be spent relaxing and getting a good night’s sleep.”

PSAT preppers for the October 19 test are among the record number of pre-college students turning to Kaplan, with the test prep industry leader reporting that more students have used Kaplan products and programs for the PSAT, SATⓇ and ACTⓇ this year than in any prior year in its 78-year history. Uncertainty around the redesigned SAT has fueled a more than 25% growth in Kaplan’s SAT publishing offerings, 39% growth in Kaplan’s ACT publishing offerings, 40% growth in Kaplan’s SAT Live Online offerings and 27% growth in Kaplan’s ACT Live Online offerings, and more than 20% growth in its live-taught school-based SAT partnerships.

“Students may vary in their test prep music and their study snacks, but most of them feel anxious about the high-stakes tests in their college journey, and we’re seeing this in the record number of students who have prepared with us this year,” said Weiss. “Our goal is to relieve that anxiety and help them build confidence with engaging, dynamic world-class offerings that are accessible to all.”

This year, Kaplan introduced several groundbreaking free, interactive livestreaming teaching events for the PSAT, SAT and ACT. Through its free 12-hour SAT Prepathon, free ACT pulse events and ACT Online Prep Live offering, as well as its free PSAT Prep Live offering, Kaplan has prepared hundreds of thousands of students this year for these high-stakes tests.

Taught by Kaplan’s master teachers, the engaging, livestreaming sessions have garnered enthusiastic response from the thousands of student participants, who have filled the live chats with non-stop discussion. A small sampling of comments from the recent free PSAT Prep Live sessions included, “this is actually the coolest prep ever,” “fastest and most helpful 2 hours of my life lol,” “this is helpful but actually really fun XD,” “this is the best free resource,” “I wish this would go 4 another hour,” “thank you for this amazing live stream,” “I thought I knew everything for this section but this is actually super helpful!” “I LOVE THIS,” “***this is so freaking helpful,” “my counselor told us about this and I am so glad thank you very much,” “Thanks to you and all of the experts I can actually raise my score.”

Students prepping for the October 19 PSAT can attend any of Kaplan’s upcoming free livestreaming, interactive PSAT teaching sessions: Problem Solving: Rates, Ratios & More (10/13, 9-10 pm ET), PSAT Writing & Language Strategies (10/13, 10-11 pm ET), Math Rules: Exponents, Functions & More (10/16, 6:30-7:30 pm ET), Common PSAT Reading Question Types (10/16, 7:30-8:30 pm ET), Advanced PSAT Math (10/17, 7:30-8:30 pm ET), Advanced PSAT Verbal (10/17, 8:30-9:30 pm ET).

The PSAT/NMSQT® is a registered trademark of the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation which were not involved in the production of, and do not endorse this product. The SAT® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product. The ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product.

*For the survey, 405 students who took Kaplan’s free PSAT Prep Live interactive livestreaming sessions were polled online on October 8-9, 2016.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC)