Back when I was in college exam week meant little sleep and lots of stress, which resulted in most of us turning to artificial aids to keep us going.  Some people went hard core (i.e. speed), but everyone I knew stuck to some sort of toxic brew of NoDoz and Mountain Dew or Jolt.  By the end of the week nerves were frayed and stomachs were fragile, but for the most part we made it through the week legally.

Kids these days have other options that, quite frankly, scare the bejeezus out of me.  From the Freakonomics blog:

Students apparently consume mass quantities of the performance-enhancing drug Adderall during exam time. Normally the price is $3 for 10 mg, but it rises during exam week to at least $5.

The blog post actually focuses on the fact that drug dealers speculated on Adderall in anticipation of the rise in prices and did so in such volume that they actually drove the price down.  I, on the other hand, am focused on the fact that kids would routinely turn to an OTC drug that's essentially this generation's version of speed and I worry that they don't understand the potential side effects.  From the Wikipedia page about Adderall:

Adderall has a high abuse potential. Due to the fact that Adderall has a powerful effect of increasing blood pressure, it carries the same risk of sudden death, stroke, and heart attack in patients with pre-existing heart conditions, as does methylphenidate and other stimulants used to treat ADHD, as well as the same risk of seizures in patients with a history of seizures.