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Whether it’s a university exam or a job interview, the time of day can have a significant impact on your chances of success. This has been proven by an Italian study in which scientists analyzed over 100,000 oral exams.
The study found that the probability of success in university exams or job interviews is highest between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. In the early morning hours or late afternoon, the success rate decreases noticeably. “We believe that this pattern could also extend to job interviews or other assessment processes,” said Carmelo Mario Vicario, head of the study at the University of Messina, on Thursday.
Best chances of success at lunchtime, according to study
The team analyzed the performance of over 19,000 students with 680 examiners at the University of Messina. More than 1,200 courses at all degree levels from October 2018 to February 2020 were taken into account. The period of the coronavirus pandemic, when many exams were held online, was deliberately excluded in order to analyze in-person exams, according to the study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
The level of difficulty was also included in the analysis. In Italy, oral exams are often not standardized, but they have a major impact on the course of study. On average, 57 percent of the exams were passed. The worst results were at 8:00 a.m. and around 4:00 p.m.
Effects of the time of day—albeit different ones—have already been observed among judges: A 2011 study in Israel showed that parole applications were more likely to be approved at the beginning of the day or after breaks. A kind of “decision fatigue” was suspected over the course of the working day. In such cases, people tend to stick to the status quo—in this case, rejecting the parole application and keeping the offender in prison.
Internal clock influences performance
According to the team behind the current study, the internal clock is likely to play a role in performance. Many students are “night owls” and only reach their peak mental performance later in the morning. Examiners, on the other hand, are more likely to be early risers who are particularly productive in the morning. Further research that takes into account factors such as sleep, stress, nutrition, and daily form is still necessary.
The researchers therefore recommend scheduling exams or selection interviews for late morning if possible, as this is when peak performance is most likely to coincide. “Our results show how strongly biological factors, which are often overlooked in everyday life, can influence assessment at crucial moments,” says co-author Alessio Avenanti from the University of Bologna.
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