You couldn’t make it up, but scientists at the University of South Australia have discovered that the height of exam hall ceilings affects exam results!
A team led by Dr Isabella Bower took 15,600 undergrad results across three campuses and cross referenced the results with the height of the exam hall ceiling. Bower found those who sat exams in halls with high ceilings achieved lower marks.
The problem is she has no idea why this is the case, but believes the brain must react to its surrounding in way we do not understand yet. So, simply sitting in a bigger room causes brain activity to behave differently when concentrating of difficult tasks.
Ultimately it may mean universities and the professional bodies will have to look at where they make their students sit exams. Bower said: “These spaces are often designed for purposes other than examinations, such as gymnasiums, exhibitions, events and performances.”
Read our eights pages of news in the latest magazine: https://issuu.com/pqpublishing/docs/pq_aug24_multi.
