The idea that boredom can be beneficial for humans, especially for creativity, is something that should not occur in exam environments, lest students reach the point of failure.

A study of boredom conducted by researchers at the University of Vienna in Austria on 5th to 10th grade students showed that boredom during exams occurred at a high level among students. The level of boredom rose during an exam when it lacked personal significance to the student, and was directly associated with a negative impact on exam results.

The researchers proposed an "abundance" hypothesis for this boredom, noting that boredom occurs when students are either in a state of excessive challenge (the exam is too difficult) or when the exam is less than necessary (the exam is too easy).

According to a study published in the journal Science Alert, the abundance theory works as follows: If students do not face adequate challenges, completing the exam is a