Overview

• Researchers at the University of Messina analyzed over 100,000 in-person oral exams conducted from October 2018 to February 2020, excluding the pandemic period, with results published in Frontiers in Psychology in July 2025.
• On average 57 percent of exams were passed, with success rates peaking between 11:00 and 13:00 and dropping sharply at 8:00 and around 16:00.
• The study links performance variations to circadian chronotypes, noting that many students exhibit 'night-owl' patterns while examiners tend to be 'early birds.'
• Calls are growing for universities and employers to schedule oral exams and interviews in the late morning to capitalize on overlapping optimal performance windows.
• Lead researchers plan follow-up investigations into factors such as sleep, stress and nutrition and will explore whether similar time-of-day effects apply to job interviews and other evaluations.