Just 9 Minutes of Exercise Before Taking Tests Boosts Kids' Scores
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A quick burst of exercise before class may be the key to sharper thinking and better grades, according to new research from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
The study found that just nine minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) helped children score significantly higher on a standardized verbal comprehension test compared to when they sat still before taking it.
"In the classroom, you have teachers that say, 'Let's take a movement break to get you focused again,'" said paper author and kinesiologist professor Eric Drollette in a statement.
He continued: "We know that's the case anecdotally in the classroom, but we hadn't put the science to it."
Positive girl exercising in group of classmates during dance class at school.
Positive girl exercising in group of classmates during dance class at school.
JackF
Previous research on exercise and cognition in children has often involved lab-based setups, such as 20-minute treadmill sessions—methods that aren't practical for a typical classroom.
In contrast, Drollette's team developed a set of movements that could be done in place without equipment—air squats, high knees, jumping jacks and lunges. Students aged between 9 and 12 performed each exercise for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest, all while staying in one spot beside their desks.
The researchers compared the HIIT session with two other pre-test conditions: a period of seated rest and moderate-intensity cycling. Only the high-intensity routine produced a notable improvement in test scores.
According to Drollette, children showed an average 8-point gain on the KTEA-3 reading fluency scale—roughly half a standard deviation, or the difference between scoring in the 50th percentile and the 70th percentile.
"In this sample, we didn't see clear, systematic differences by age, general fitness, or baseline academic performance—responses were consistent across children," Drollette told Newsweek.
"Most kids engaged well with the short, fun, in-place movements, and the post-exercise benefits we measured did not hinge on a particular subgroup," he continued.
"These findings may have important implications for teachers who are incorporating movement breaks into their classrooms and who might then see benefits to their students' academic performance," said paper coauthor and kinesiology professor Jennifer Etnier in a statement.
The timing of the study is apposite: recess time has declined in many schools and only about 10 percent of elementary schools require regular movement breaks.
The study offers a practical blueprint for making those short breaks count—without the need for treadmills or any other specialized equipment.
The research also looked inside students' brains, using electroencephalogram (EEG) scans to measure a neural signal called error-related negativity, which spikes when someone makes a mistake.
A high error-related negativity amplitude can indicate mental distraction and over-fixation on errors, hurting performance.
After the HIIT session, students showed a lower error-related negativity response, suggesting they could more effectively recover from mistakes.
"With interval exercise, we actually see this decrease in this error-related response," Drollette said.
"This can be beneficial because it means that while a person made an error, the error itself is less salient thus they are able to effectively respond to the error or mistake in a mentally healthy way."
Drollette told Newsweek that teachers could trade nine minutes for an immediate boost in a core academic skill.
"Importantly, our boost was measured the same day and immediately after exercise, so the most realistic use is doing it shortly before test blocks," he said.
"Teachers could slot this in during transitions or before reading blocks, tests, or any task that demands sustained attention, without rearranging the room or finding extra space."
Drollette hopes future research will explore how exercise-driven brain changes might influence children's mental health and classroom behavior.
"Physical education and physical activity are good for our rising generation," he said. "It's good for mental health. It's good for brain health. It's good for academic achievement."
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about exercising? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Drollette, E. S., O'Brokta, M. M., Pasupathi, P. A., Cornwall, A. S., Slutsky-Ganesh, A. B., & Etnier, J. L. (2025). The effects of short exercise bouts on error-related negativity (ERN) and academic achievement in children. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 79, 102847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102847
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