It makes sense. New research says that you'll get the best results if you do an exam in the morning as opposed to later on in the day. Spotted on The Mirror, researchers working for the academic journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences or PNAS, found that 'cognitive power' lessens as the day progresses. Conducted over three years, the researchers looked at two million tests, taken by students aged eight to fifteen years. While looking at the results of the tests and the times at which the exams were sat, they concluded that marks dropped 0.9 per cent for each hour that passed. The earlier the better for an exam it seems... The study conducted at the Danish National Centre for Social Research pointed out that this is not just for people of school-going age and can apply to anyone, young or old. To defeat 'cognitive fatigue' the researchers say taking a proper break is of utmost importance. Speaking of the findings, a spokesperson for the centre said: "Breaks allow them [people] to recharge their resources with benefits for text scores." "The findings do not support administering tests only in the morning, but instead, suggest that breaks might be critical in mitigating external factors on student performance in tests."