Effects of Heat on Mathematics Test Performance in Vietnam

We examine the effects of average test-day temperature on the mathematics test performance of all Vietnamese students who took the national university and college entrance examinations in 2009. Using individual fixed effects, we find that an increase of 1°F results in an approximate 0.006 standard deviation loss of in standardized test scores by age and test problem. The negative effects are persistent regardless of whether students were from the hottest or coolest climate regions in the country. We also find that female students and students from rural areas and townships are most vulnerable to the effects of heat.