Time Management and Its Relationship With Academic Performance Among Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Students at the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Background Time management is a crucial skill that significantly impacts academic performance, particularly among students in demanding healthcare programs. Understanding how time-management practices relate to academic outcomes can help guide targeted educational interventions. Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of time-management skills among medical, dental, and pharmacy students at the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and to examine the relationship between these skills and academic performance (Grade Point Average (GPA)). Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 students selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using Britton and Tesser's 18-item Time-Management Questionnaire, consisting of 18 Likert-scale questions (score range 18-90), along with demographic variables and self-reported GPA. Time-management scores were categorised as low (39-54), moderate (55-69), or high (70-86). Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and correlation testing using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 23 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results Of the 390 participants, 27.4% (n=107) were male and 72.6% (n=283) female. A total of 279 students (71.5%) demonstrated moderate time-management skills. A significant difference in overall scores was found between medical and pharmacy students (p = 0.006). A strong positive correlation was observed between time-management scores and GPA (r = 0.99, p = 0.028). This finding, while unusually high, was confirmed through repeated analysis and is attributable to the restricted GPA range and academic homogeneity of the cohort. No significant associations were found between time-management ability and gender, school background, or educational level. Conclusion Time management is a strong predictor of academic performance among this high-achieving health-science cohort. The unusually strong association observed should be interpreted in light of the restricted GPA variability and homogenous academic profile of the sample. Incorporating structured time-management training into university curricula may enhance academic outcomes and student well-being.