---
title: Do women get worse grades on exams during the premenstrual phase?
description: No. All 26 women in the study earned similar exam marks during the premenstrual phase compared to other times of their cycle.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/psychology-degree-examinations-and-the-premenstrual-phase-of-the-menstrual-cycle-1985/
---

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- Do women get worse grades on exams during the premenstrual phase?

Study, 1985

# Do women get worse grades on exams during the premenstrual phase?

No. All 26 women in the study earned similar exam marks during the premenstrual phase compared to other times of their cycle.

 Moderate study design

26 final-year psychology university students

## What they did

Researchers looked at final exam marks of 26 final-year psychology students. They identified which phase of the menstrual cycle each woman was in when she took the exam and compared marks earned during the premenstrual phase with marks from other phases. They also measured pre-exam anxiety and checked whether women taking oral contraceptives performed differently.

## What they found

There were no clear differences in exam marks between the premenstrual phase and other phases of the cycle. Anxiety levels were similar to published norms and did not appear to affect exam performance. Women taking oral contraceptives performed just as well as women not taking them.

## What it means for you

Being in the premenstrual phase does not seem to put women at a disadvantage during exams. However, this study only included final-year psychology students all completing their degrees at the same time, so results might differ for other groups or types of exams.

26

women studied

26

women who completed study

## About the study

Original title Psychology degree examinations and the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle Authors Asso D Journal Women & health Year 1985 Study design Study Participants 26 What was tested None - compared natural menstrual cycle phases Read the paper [doi.org/10.1300/j013v10n04_08](https://doi.org/10.1300/j013v10n04_08)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)

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Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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