This article provides evidence from four studies in Mexico on how the age of children relative to their school class—their “relative age”—produces an illusory gap in academic skills and affects the experiences of students, their choices, self-concept, and expectations. The first study shows that relative age confers an advantage in achievement tests at ages 12–15 that makes older students look academically better than their younger peers. The advantage would disappear if students were tested at the exact same age. The second study shows that, when 15-year-olds participate in a competitive merit-based mechanism to be allocated to public high schools, older students aim at and are more likely to be admitted to higher-quality schools. The third study shows that, during high school, age confers an advantage in GPA that decreases but does not disappear as students reach age 18. Lastly, the fourth study shows that, at age 18, relatively older students score higher in achievement tests and character skills scales, and they have better labor market expectations and more ambitious educational aspirations—a novel result. To the world and themselves, relatively older students appear worthy of greater human capital investment. Some implications of these results are discussed.

本文提供了来自墨西哥的四项研究的证据，这些研究表明儿童相对于学校班级的年龄（他们的“相对年龄”）如何导致学术技能方面的幻觉差距，并影响学生的经历，他们的选择，自我概念和期望。第一项研究表明，相对年龄在12-15岁年龄段的成就测试中具有优势，这使年龄较大的学生在学业上看起来比年龄较小的同伴更好。如果学生在完全相同的年龄接受测试，优势将消失。第二项研究表明，当15岁的孩子参加基于竞争优势的择优分配机制，分配给公立高中时，年龄较大的学生将瞄准并且更有可能被更高质量的学校录取。第三项研究表明，在高中期间，年龄赋予GPA优势，但随着学生达到18岁而降低，但不会消失。最后，第四项研究显示，在18岁时，相对年龄较大的学生在成就测验和性格技能量表中得分较高，并且他们对劳动力市场的期望更高以及更雄心勃勃的教育愿望-一个新颖的结果。对于世界和他们自己，年龄相对较大的学生似乎值得进行更多的人力资本投资。讨论了这些结果的一些含义。年龄较大的学生似乎值得增加人力资本投资。讨论了这些结果的一些含义。年龄较大的学生似乎值得增加人力资本投资。讨论了这些结果的一些含义。