Stressed for Finals?

Does stress help or hurt?

Under Pressure: What Exam Stress Really Looks Like

You probably know what exam stress feels like with the racing heart, the cold sweat, the way everything you studied suddenly feels far away. But what does that stress actually look like on the inside? How does it build up? And does it really impact performance?

In this interactive walkthrough, we explore real physiological stress data recorded from 10 students across three major exams: Midterm 1, Midterm 2, and the Final. By combining Electrodermal Activity (EDA), heart rate, movement, and more, we'll uncover how stress evolves; not just during the test, but before the first question is even asked.

You'll match yourself to real students, examine patterns, and discover how the smallest decisions, like skipping breakfast or sleeping in, show up in the data.

By the end, you might see stress not as a simple "bad thing," but as a signal worth understanding. Let's begin.

Everyone experiences stress...

But not in the same way.

Some students spike the moment they sit down. Others build up slowly. Some crash early, while others ride the wave. Stress isn't just emotional, but it's also physiological, and it's shaped by how we prepare, how we cope, and what we carry into the room.

In this project, we use data from Empatica E4 wristbands worn during each student's midterms and finals. These sensors tracked EDA, heart rate, body temperature, and motion, second by second.

That means we're not just looking at how students say they felt; we're seeing how their bodies actually reacted in real time.

You'll be able to dive into each of these students' profiles, simulate your own pre-exam routine, and see how your experience compares. Whether you're a high achiever with high stress or a calm crammer, this experience will give you something we rarely get during finals season: perspective.

The Metrics Behind Stress

Electrodermal Activity (EDA)

Tracks changes in the skin's electrical conductivity caused by sweat gland activity, which is a reliable signal of emotional or physiological arousal.

Heart Rate (HR)

Measures the number of heartbeats per minute (BPM), often increasing during stress or mental effort.

Blood Volume Pulse (BVP)

Monitors the volume of blood passing through your vessels with each heartbeat, used to assess cardiovascular response.

Skin Temperature (TEMP)

Measures the surface temperature of your skin, which can drop under stress due to reduced blood flow to the extremities.

Inside the Exam Room

It's 9:00 AM — the start of Midterm 1. Ten students take their seats, bluebooks out, pencils tapping. On the surface, the room is calm. But beneath it? Their stress is spiking, dipping, and sometimes flatlining — all captured by their EDA (electrodermal activity) sensors. And this is only the beginning.

With another midterm and a 3-hour final ahead, the data tells a deeper story than any test score ever could.

In the next visualization, you'll see all ten students at their desks. Click on any student to see their stress curve during the exam. Each student has a unique pattern where some spike early, others build gradually, and a few maintain surprising calm.

These patterns reveal how differently we each experience the same stressful situation.

Individual Stress Signatures

Shared Room, Different Stories

Even though every student sat in the same room and took the same exam, their bodies told very different stories. Stress doesn't play out the same way for everyone, and that's exactly what makes it so interesting.

Spikes, Plateaus, and Flatlines

Some students, like S10, had sharp stress spikes almost immediately after the test began. Others, such as S3 and S7, had a slower, steady rise in stress that peaked midway through and lingered long after. Then there's Student 4, whose response was surprisingly flat the entire time.

Just How High Did Stress Go?

On average, Electrodermal Activity (EDA) stayed around 0.3 μS, but at peak moments, some students reached up to 2.9 μS. That's nearly 10 times higher. Student 8, in particular, had one of the most unpredictable and chaotic stress profiles.

The Hidden Rhythm of Stress

Let's take a closer look at Student #8 during Midterm 2. Outwardly, they looked calm with no leg shaking, no pacing, no whispered complaints. But their body was telling a different story.

Beneath the surface, their heart was racing, responding to pressure in real time. The next visualization tracks their heart rate minute-by-minute, revealing how even a steady exterior can mask intense internal stress.

Ready to step into their shoes? Let's see what stress really looked like, one beat at a time.

Behind the Peaks and Valleys

At just 17 minutes in, Student #8's heart rate soared to 137 bpm, a level more common during light cardio than sitting in a lecture hall. That spike wasn't a fluke. For the next 30 minutes, their heart rate fluctuated dramatically, revealing a rollercoaster of internal stress, even as they appeared calm on the outside.

But what stands out is the rhythm, which is a repeating wave of pressure. A few moments of calm? Quickly replaced by another sharp climb. Even toward the end, new peaks suggest a sudden challenge, potentially maybe a confusing question or a race against the clock.

Here's the catch: this wasn't just about what happened during the exam. This curve didn't begin at 9:00 AM. The body was already primed, or overloaded, long before the test began.

So what happened before they even sat down?

Let's rewind the clock and take a closer look at what a student's morning might look like….

The Morning Effect

What you do before 9:00 AM can shape your entire exam experience.

For example, one student who skipped breakfast, crammed flashcards, and argued with their roommate hit a peak heart rate of 114 bpm before even reading the first question. In contrast, a student who meditated, ate breakfast, and arrived early maintained a steady heart rate around 63 bpm.

Our matching algorithm shows that activities like "woke up late," "argued," and "forgot calculator" tend to cluster with higher EDA levels, essentially meaning your body felt more aroused and alert, possibly in a negative way. On the other hand, students who practiced calming behaviors (like meditation or listening to music) saw decreased stress markers.

What's surprising is that many students didn't even recognize how their routine affected them until they saw it visualized like this.

So if you're feeling "off" during your next test, ask yourself: What happened before you sat down?

🧭 Up Next:

Now that you've met your stress twin, let's see how they performed during the exam — and how their experience stacked up minute-by-minute against the rest of the class.

The Stress Race: Individual Patterns Revealed

Even when the exam questions were the same, the stress responses weren't. Some students climbed rapidly, spiking in heart rate or skin conductance, while others stayed remarkably steady. By watching your stress doppelgänger in motion, you get a clearer view of what "holding it together" or "melting down" actually looks like in the data.

Now the big question: Did those stress patterns actually affect performance? Let's find out by mapping stress against exam scores.

Beyond the Numbers: The Personal Stress Equation

In our sample, the overall correlation between average heart rate and exam score was r = –0.19 which is a slight negative trend, but not a definitive predictor. Stress didn't always sink performance. One student, for example, had a heart rate above 100 bpm and still scored in the 90s. Another stayed calm around 80 bpm but earned one of the lowest scores in the class.

So what gives?

The truth is: stress affects everyone differently. It's not always about how high your numbers go; it's about how well you manage the moments that spike.

🧠 Up Next:

Let's pause the data. Now it's your turn. Take a moment to reflect: What would you do differently next time to take care of yourself — before, during, or after the exam?

THE BOTTOM LINE

A steady hand doesn't always mean a steady mind — and a fast-beating heart doesn't always lead to failure. Our data shows that students experienced stress in deeply individual ways: some reached heart rates over 130 bpm before the exam even began, while others showed little physiological response and still underperformed.

Some students performed better under pressure, while others saw their performance decline. What's clear is that understanding your own stress response is the first step toward managing it effectively.

Whether you're a student preparing for exams or anyone facing high-pressure situations, remember that stress isn't inherently good or bad, but it's information. Listen to what your body is telling you, and use that knowledge to develop strategies that work for you.

Because when it comes to stress, awareness is the most powerful tool we have.