Does test anxiety increase as the exam draws near? – Students' state test anxiety recorded over the course of one semester

Abstract

State test anxiety (STA) assumingly increases as an exam draws near. However, only few studies (with short time intervals or just two measurement points) seem to confirm this assumption; especially the longer-term STA-course remains unexamined. The present study investigated N = 192 college students' STA over the course of one semester with four measurement points. STA-assessments at the first, third and fourth measurement point referred to the final obligatory exam, the second to an unmarked mock exam. Regarding the final exam, the students chose from two dates two months apart. A 2 (early vs. late exam date) × 4 (measurement points T1–T4) mixed ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of the exam date, indicating higher STA for students choosing the early exam, and a significant main effect for the measurement points. Planned contrasts indicated an overall STA-increase with a peak directly before the exam and an expected STA-drop at T2 (referring to the mock exam). Criterion validity was evidenced by substantial convergent correlations between STA and trait test anxiety (worry, emotionality). The psychological and educational relevance of the results is discussed.