More often they’re “tests”: talking to event organizers considering me for a keynote, a potential ghostwriting clients, or making important decisions, etc. (And even to self-testing, since research shows testing yourself when you’re trying to learn is a great way to improve retention and recall.)
So yeah: like you, I take plenty of “tests.”
But I rarely think about when I should take them, which, according to a study just published in Frontiers in Psychology, is a mistake.
The researchers analyzed the results of over 100,000 oral exams conducted at an Italian university and found a clear bell curve in pass rates that peaked at noon, regardless of the test taker’s chronotype. (More on that in a moment.) Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. is the sweet spot; any earlier or later and the chances of passing significantly decreased. In fact, the earlier or later in the day students took a test, the less likely they were to pass.
Why? Partly that’s because your cognitive performance improves over the course of the morning, and then declines in the afternoon. Falling energy levels are also to blame. And if you have a “test” scheduled for late afternoon, you probably stress about it during the day, and stress inevitably leads to poorer performance.
And then there’s the person who evaluates you. As the researchers write:
The progressive decline in passing rates observed in the afternoon may be due to ego depletion, as students’ and assessors’ cognitive resources become fatigued by the examination stress, which is known to impair self-control, ultimately leading to reduced passing rates.
Specifically, the growing rigidity or reduced flexibility associated with cognitive resource depletion may result in a higher rejection bias in assessors, consistent with findings suggesting judges in a state of ego depletion were more likely to make decisions that were less favorable to defendants.
The peak in passing rates around midday may reflect the optimal balance between chronotype alignment and mental depletion, according to the explanations provided above.
The last sentence—especially the “chronotype alignment” part—adds an interesting twist, because the cognitive performance and fatigue level of the person who “grades” your test also matters. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that prisoners who appeared before a parole board first thing in the morning had their parole granted about 70% of the time . . . but as the day went on, and even though it did spike back up for the first case or two after lunch, the rate of favorable rulings fell to almost zero.
That’s another reason the mid-day hours are best for taking “tests.” You’ll be at your peak level of performance—and so will the person who evaluates you.
All of which means deciding, whenever possible, when you’ll take a test—whether an actual test, or an important meeting, or an interview with a job candidate, a sales or investor pitch, etc.—could be the difference between passing and failing.