Methylphenidate (Ritalin) does not improve exam performance in an experimental setting

Abstract

Rationale: Surveys indicate that about 10–20% of students use medicinal drugs to improve their exam performance. Whether these drugs really improve exam performance has not been examined in an experimental setting yet. This study tested the effects of methylphenidate (MPH; 20 mg) on exam performance either by giving the drug before studying for an exam (day 1, acquiring new information) or before the exam was taken (day 2, retrieving the information). Method: For this study, a double-blind placebo controlled between-subjects design was applied. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups that were given treatment on the two days: Placebo-Placebo (n = 25), MPH (n = 24), Placebo-MPH (n = 26). The exam contained multiple-choice questions (factual knowledge and inference questions) and open questions (inference). Results: The data showed that MPH did not improve the exam performance on the three types of questions. In addition, the average grade did not differ between the three groups and the number of participants failing or passing the exam did not differ. Conclusion: This is a first experimental study showing that MPH does not improve exam performance and should discourage students to take MPH during exam periods.