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Newsweek
6 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Best Time of Day To Schedule a Job Interview Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. If you're looking to boost your chances of success in a job interview, the time of day that it is scheduled for might matter more than you think. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology suggests that people perform better in evaluative situations—like oral exams or job interviews—around midday. Researchers at the University of Messina, Italy, analyzed more than 100,000 oral exam results and found that students were significantly more likely to pass when assessed around lunchtime—and least likely to succeed early in the morning or later in the afternoon. "We show that academic assessment outcomes vary systematically across the day, with a clear peak in passing rates around midday," said paper author and neuroscientist professor Carmelo Mario Vicario. "Students were more likely to pass in late morning compared to early morning or late afternoon." He added: "We believe this pattern could extend to job interviews or any evaluative process scheduled throughout the day." "We would be very interested in investigating whether hiring decisions, too, fluctuate in fairness or outcome depending on time of day." A stock image of a woman doing a job interview. A stock image of a woman doing a job interview. djiledesign/iStock / Getty Images Plus What the Research Found To investigate how time of day impacts performance, the team accessed data from 104,552 oral exams conducted between October 2018 and February 2020 across 1,243 courses. In Italian universities, oral exams are a crucial part of academic evaluation. These high-pressure assessments typically last 10 to 30 minutes, are scheduled throughout the day, and involve spontaneous questions from professors. By factoring in the difficulty of exams—measured by the number of credits awarded—the researchers were able to isolate timing as a key variable. Their analysis showed that: The average pass rate was 57%. Students were most likely to pass exams scheduled at 11:00 or 13:00. Exams taken at 08:00, 09:00, 15:00, or 16:00 saw significantly lower success rates. The pattern followed a bell curve, peaking at noon. "These findings have wide-ranging implications," said Prof Alessio Avenanti of the University of Bologna, a co-author. "They highlight how biological rhythms—often overlooked in decision-making contexts—can subtly but significantly shape the outcome of high-stakes evaluations." Why Time Matters Although the study didn't pinpoint the exact reason for this pattern, the midday peak aligns with existing evidence that cognitive performance tends to rise throughout the morning and dip after lunch. Several factors could be at play: Students may experience decreased focus as energy levels drop later in the day. Professors, who are often older and more likely to be "morning people," might experience decision fatigue or mismatched energy levels with their students. Younger adults, including most students, are typically night owls, making early mornings a cognitive low point. "To counteract time-of-day effects, students might benefit from strategies like ensuring quality sleep, avoiding scheduling important exams during personal 'low' periods, and taking mental breaks before performance tasks," suggested Vicario. "For institutions, delaying morning sessions or clustering key assessments in the late morning may improve outcomes." What This Means for Job Seekers Though the research focused on students, the implications could apply to job interviews as well. Just like exams, interviews involve stress, judgment and subjective evaluation. If our mental sharpness and emotional resilience are affected by time of day, it might be wise to schedule interviews between 11:00 and 13:00 when both candidates and interviewers are likely to be at their cognitive best. Still, the authors caution that more research is needed. "While we controlled for exam difficulty, we can't entirely exclude other unmeasured factors," said Prof Massimo Mucciardi, senior author. "We couldn't access detailed student- or examiner-level data such as sleep habits, stress, or chronotype. This is why we encourage follow-up studies using physiological or behavioral measures to uncover the underlying mechanisms." Do you have a science story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about biological rhythms? Let us know via science@ Vicario, C. M., Nitsche, M. A., Lucifora, C., Perconti, P., Salehinejad, M. A., Tomaiuolo, F., Massimino, S., Avenanti, A., & Mucciardi, M. (2025). Timing matters! Academic assessment changes throughout the day. Frontiers in Psychology, 16.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists reveal the surprising secret to nailing a job interview
When it comes to job interviews, there are endless tips and tricks that promise to help you land the role. But experts have revealed one of the simplest ways to boost your chances – and it's all to do with timing. Researchers investigating oral exams at university discovered that students had the highest level of passing if their exam was held around lunchtime. In contrast, the chances of passing were lowest at the beginning and end of the day, they found. Given the similarities between oral exams and job interviews, they believe their findings could be applicable to hiring situations. 'We show that academic assessment outcomes vary systematically across the day, with a clear peak in passing rates around midday,' Professor Carmelo Mario Vicario, lead author of the study, said. 'Students were more likely to pass in late morning compared to early morning or late afternoon. 'We believe this pattern could extend to job interviews or any evaluative process scheduled throughout the day.' The researchers, from the University of Messina in Italy, were inspired by work which showed that judges were most likely to rule in favour of a defendant after meal breaks or at the beginning of a session. They collected the date, time and outcome of more than 100,000 assessments delivered by 680 examiners for 1,200 courses. 'Oral exams in Italian universities are scheduled at set times, typically lasting 10 to 30 minutes per student,' Professor Vicario said. 'There's no standardized format – professors ask questions based on the course content, and grades are assigned on the spot. 'These exams can be highly stressful due to their unpredictable nature and the strong weight they carry in academic progression.' Overall, only 57 per cent of the exams were passed, they found, with the passing rate peaking at noon. There was no significant difference in the chance of passing if the exam was held at 11am or 1pm, but the chances of passing were lower if the exam was at 8am or 9am, or at 3pm or 4pm, they said. 'These findings have wide–ranging implications,' co–author Professor Alessio Avenanti of the University of Bologna, said. 'They highlight how biological rhythms — often overlooked in decision–making contexts — can subtly but significantly shape the outcome of high–stakes evaluations.' Although the study can't identify the mechanisms behind this pattern, the peak in passes at midday reinforces evidence that cognitive performance improves over the course of a morning before declining in the afternoon. Students' falling energy levels could also lead to diminishing focus, compromising their performance, the team said. 'We would be very interested in investigating whether hiring decisions, too, fluctuate in fairness or outcome depending on time of day,' Professor Vicario said. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. WILL YOUR JOB BE TAKEN BY A ROBOT? PHYSICAL JOBS ARE AT THE GREATEST RISK Physical jobs in predictable environments, including machine-operators and fast-food workers, are the most likely to be replaced by robots. Management consultancy firm McKinsey, based in New York, focused on the amount of jobs that would be lost to automation, and what professions were most at risk. The report said collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines. This could displace large amounts of labour - for instance, in mortgages, paralegal work, accounting, and back-office transaction processing. Conversely, jobs in unpredictable environments are least are risk. The report added: 'Occupations such as gardeners, plumbers, or providers of child- and eldercare - will also generally see less automation by 2030, because they are technically difficult to automate and often command relatively lower wages, which makes automation a less attractive business proposition.'
