Timing matters! Academic assessment changes throughout the day
Carmelo M. Vicario, Michael A. Nitsche, Chiara Lucifora, Pietro Perconti, Mohammad A. Salehinejad, Francesco Tomaiuolo, Simona Massimino, Alessio Avenanti, Massimo Mucciardi

TL;DR
This study shows that exam timing affects academic outcomes, with midday exams having higher passing rates.
Contribution
The study provides empirical evidence of time-of-day effects on academic assessment, extending prior research on decision-making biases.
Findings
Passing rates follow a Gaussian distribution throughout the day, peaking at midday.
The pattern remains after controlling for exam difficulty and confounding factors.
Exam timing influences academic outcomes, indicating a time-dependent evaluation bias.
Abstract
The influence of timing on decision-making processes has garnered significant attention across various domains, yet its impact on academic assessment remains under investigated. While previous research has suggested time-of-day effects on judicial decisions, methodological limitations have restricted the generalizability of these findings. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of 104.552 oral exams conducted at an Italian university, revealing a robust relationship between exam timing and academic outcomes. Our results demonstrate a Gaussian distribution of passing rates throughout the day, with a significant peak at midday. This pattern persists after controlling for exam difficulty and other potential confounding factors, suggesting an intrinsic time-dependent bias in the evaluation process. Our findings not only corroborate previous research on the influence of timing on…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSchool Choice and Performance · Innovations in Educational Methods · Auditing, Earnings Management, Governance
