The study highlights the influence of exam duration and gender on student performance in the “Bios” National Competition, held online by the Biology Department on the Moodle platform of the West University of Timișoara, Romania. The research was quantitative and used a quasi-experimental intergroup design, comparing two time conditions—30 minutes (2024 edition) and 20 minutes (2025 edition)—on a sample of N = 103 high school students. Performance was measured by the final score obtained on a standardized biology test, consisting of 30 multiple-choice items. Statistical analyses (independent t-test and Pearson correlation) were applied separately for two thematic sections: Plant and Animal Biology (grades IX–X) and Anatomy and Physiology, Genetics, and Human Ecology (grades XI–XII). The results showed that, for the IX–X grade section, reducing the duration from 30 minutes to 20 minutes did not produce significant differences in average scores, while for the XI-XII grade section, the group with reduced time performed significantly better. Correlations between gender and performance were insignificant. The study contributes to understanding how test duration influences results in a competitive context. The conclusions can support the optimization of digital exam duration without compromising the fairness and validity of the assessment process. Online assessment; Exam duration; Student performance; Biology competition; Gender differences

Online assessment; Exam duration; Student performance; Biology competition; Gender differences

biology

Presentation: poster