How Time of Day Affects Our Chances of Success
The result of the study: The probability of success in university exams or job interviews is greatest between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. In the early morning hours or late afternoon, the success rate noticeably decreases. "We believe that this pattern could also extend to job interviews or other evaluation processes," said the study leader Carmelo Mario Vicario from the University of Messina on Thursday.
Best Chances of Success According to Study at Midday
The team analyzed the performance of over 19,000 students with 680 examiners at the University of Messina. More than 1,200 courses of all degree levels from October 2018 to February 2020 were considered. The time of the Corona pandemic, when many performances took place online, was deliberately excluded to analyze in-person exams, according to the study published in the journal "Frontiers in Psychology."
The difficulty level was also included in the analysis. In Italy, oral exams are often not standardized but have a significant impact on the course of studies. On average, 57 percent of the exams were passed. The worst results were at 8:00 AM and around 4:00 PM.
Effects of the time of day - albeit different ones - have already been observed in judges: A study in Israel from 2011 showed that parole applications were more frequently approved at the beginning of the day or after breaks. It was suspected to be a kind of "decision fatigue" over the course of the working day. In such cases, people tend to stick to the status quo - in this case, to reject the parole application and keep the offender in custody.
Internal Clock Influencing Performance
According to the team of the current study, the internal clock is likely to play a role in performance. Many students belong to the "night owl" chronotype and reach their mental peak performance later in the morning. Examiners, on the other hand, are more often early risers who are particularly efficient in the morning. Further investigations considering factors such as sleep, stress, nutrition, or daily form are still necessary.
The researchers recommend scheduling exams or selection interviews as late in the morning as possible - then the performance peaks are most likely to overlap. "Our results show how strongly biological factors, often overlooked in everyday life, can influence evaluation in crucial moments," says co-author Alessio Avenanti from the University of Bologna.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.