Morningness–eveningness preferences and university entrance examination scores of high school students

Abstract

This study explored whether morningness–eveningness preference influences achievement in a standardised university entrance examination. A total of 235 senior high school students aged 17–19 years responded to the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). The obtained MEQ responses indicated that out of 235 participants, 19.1% were “moderately morning” type, 68.1% were “neither” type, 11.9% were “moderately evening” type and 0.9% were “definitely evening” type (there was no “definitely morning” type student in the sample). A significant correlation was observed between MEQ scores and university entrance examination scores. In addition, morningness–eveningness preference was found to effect success in a university entrance examination. “Morning” type students performed better compared to “neither” type and “evening” type students, indicating that students with “morning” type circadian preference are at an advantage because of the starting time of the university entrance examination.