The Early Bird Catches the Rank: A Study of Chronotype, Learning Styles, and Performance in Medical Entrance Exams

Abstract

Background: Competitive medical entrance exams in India, like NEET, are high-stakes events scheduled uniformly in the morning. The interplay between a student’s internal body clock (chronotype), their preferred way of learning (learning style), and their success in such exams is not well understood.
Objectives: To investigate the correlation between chronotype (morning/evening preference), VARK learning styles, and All India Rank (AIR) in the NEET exam among medical aspirants.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 81 medical aspirants from coaching institutes in Maharashtra. Participants completed validated questionnaires to assess their chronotype (Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire) and learning style preferences (VARK). Their self-reported NEET All India Rank (AIR) was used as the measure of academic performance. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA, t-tests, and multivariate regression.
Results: Morning chronotypes significantly outperformed evening types, achieving a mean rank of 42,187 versus 62,416. Kinesthetic learning was the predominant modality. A strong positive correlation was found between morningness and a kinesthetic learning preference, while eveningness was correlated with an auditory preference. Female aspirants performed better than their male counterparts and were more morning-oriented. In multivariate analysis, chronotype score emerged as the strongest independent predictor of a better rank.

How to cite this article:
Bhimani N, Baruah M. The Early Bird Catches the Rank: A Study of Chronotype, Learning Styles, and Performance in Medical Entrance Exams. IAP J. Med. Educ. Res. 2026;3(1):15-19.