<![CDATA[Pre-exam anxiety is a prevalent psychological issue among high school students that can impair academic performance. Although music is frequently used as an emotion regulation strategy, empirical evidence regarding the specific role of tempo as a psychoacoustic element in regulating emotions under academic stress remains inconsistent. This quantitative study utilized a randomized posttest-only control group design to examine the effect of different music tempos on adaptive emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal) and state anxiety among high school students in a pre-exam context. Participants were 60 12th-grade students from SMAN 1 Semarang (N = 60), randomly assigned (simple randomization) into three groups (n = 20 per group): slow-tempo music (60–80 BPM), fast-tempo music (120–140 BPM), and a control group (noise-attenuating headphone mute). Participants listened to their assigned condition for 10 minutes prior to completing a mock Mathematics exam designed to induce academic stress. Outcomes were measured post-stressor using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ Cognitive Reappraisal subscale) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Form Y-1). One-Way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences across groups in Cognitive Reappraisal scores, F(2,57) = 14.82, p .001, ƞ2 = 0.34, and state anxiety, F(2,57) = 18.34, p .001, ƞ2 = 0.39. Post Hoc Tukey HSD tests confirmed that the slow-tempo group yielded significantly higher emotion regulation scores (M = 5.81, SD = 0.62) and lower state anxiety (M = 38.45, SD = 4.82) compared to both the fast-tempo and control groups (p .001). No significant differences were found between the fast-tempo and control groups (p .05). Theoretically, these patterns can be interpreted through arousal dynamics and cognitive processing. Practically, this study provides an evidence-based recommendation for school counselors to implement 10-minute slow-tempo instrumental music (60–80 BPM) as a low-cost, practical pre-exam intervention.]]>
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