Timing Is Everything: Experimental Evidence on Quiz Timing and Exam Performance in Introductory Economics

Last registered on July 23, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Timing Is Everything: Experimental Evidence on Quiz Timing and Exam Performance in Introductory Economics
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019210
Initial registration date
July 20, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 23, 2026, 8:08 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Amanda Fredrickson
Affiliation
United States Military Academy
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-08-17
End date
2027-05-28
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Education, Retrieval Practice, Economics Education, Pedagogy
JEL code(s)
A22 (Economic Education and Teaching of Economics)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Short, low-stakes quizzes are a common teaching tool in college courses, but little is known about whether the timing of those quizzes matters for student learning. This study examines whether administering a five-minute quiz at the end of class, after instruction, produces better exam performance than administering the same quiz before class. We conduct a randomized controlled trial in SS201: Principles of Economics at the United States Military Academy (West Point), randomly assigning course sections to one of two quiz-timing formats. All other aspects of the course, content, assignments, exams, and grading, are identical across conditions. The study runs across two consecutive semesters (Fall 2026 and Spring 2027), with the primary outcome being performance on the standardized Term-End Exam. If confirmed, findings would suggest a simple, costless improvement to quiz design that any instructor could implement without changing course content or grading burden.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fredrickson, Amanda. 2026. "Timing Is Everything: Experimental Evidence on Quiz Timing and Exam Performance in Introductory Economics." AEA RCT Registry. July 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19210-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Sections are randomly assigned to one of two quiz-timing conditions: (1) End-of-Class — cadets complete a 5-question multiple-choice quiz in the final 5–10 minutes of the lesson period, after instruction has been delivered; or (2) Pre-Class — cadets complete the same 5-question quiz before arriving to class. Quiz content is identical across conditions within any lesson. All other course elements — syllabus, WPRs, TEE, grading rubrics, and instructional contact hours — are held constant. Each instructor teaches both conditions simultaneously across their assigned sections.
Intervention Start Date
2026-08-17
Intervention End Date
2027-05-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Term-End Exam (TEE) score (250-point scale)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The TEE is a standardized, objectively graded exam administered at the end of each semester, identical across all sections and instructors. It is the primary measure of cumulative learning in SS201 and was the outcome measure in the observational analysis underlying this RCT.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
WPR (midterm) scores; quiz–TEE partial correlations by condition; quiz completion rates; subgroup TEE performance by CEER quartile, sex, recruited athlete status, prior service status, and USMAPS attendance
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
WPR scores assess whether effects emerge early or accumulate over the semester. Quiz–TEE partial correlations test the mechanism hypothesis that in-class quizzes generate more effortful retrieval than out-of-class formats. Quiz completion rates serve as a manipulation check. Subgroup analyses are exploratory and not powered for subgroup-level inference.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Within-instructor RCT. Sections are randomly assigned to end-of-class or pre-class conditions prior to each semester, stratified by instructor and time of day (morning vs. afternoon). Each instructor with four sections teaches two end-of-class and two pre-class sections; each instructor with two sections teaches one of each. Single-section instructors are assigned to end-of-class by default and excluded from the primary analysis. The primary analysis uses OLS regression with instructor and time-of-day fixed effects, standard errors clustered at the section level.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
R statistical software (set.seed(2026201)), stratified by instructor and time of day
Randomization Unit
Section (cluster)
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
48 sections (24 per semester)
Sample size: planned number of observations
864 (approximately 432 per semester)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately 432 end-of-class, 432 pre-class (pooled across both semesters)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
4.3–5.1 points on the 250-point TEE (86–95% power), accounting for section-level clustering and covariate adjustment
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
USMA Human Research Protections Program
IRB Approval Date
2026-07-01
IRB Approval Number
IRB exempt CA-2026-102
Analysis Plan

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