Multisite Study Assessing the Effect of Cognitive Test Anxiety on Academic and Standardized Test Performance

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate the degree of cognitive test anxiety (CTA) present in student pharmacists at multiple pharmacy programs in the United States and to determine if there are associations between self-reported CTA and relevant academic outcomes. Methods. All 2018-2019 advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students from three US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs (N5260) were invited to participate in the study. Participants completed a validated 37-question survey that included the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale-2 (CTAS-2) along with demographics-related questions. Responses were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallace, and multiple linear regression where appropriate. Results. One hundred twenty-four students (48%) from the three programs participated in the study, and the individual data of 119 (46%) were included in the final analysis. Twenty-two students (18.5%) were classified as having high CTA, 41 (34.5%) as having moderate CTA, and 56 (47.1%) as having low CTA. High CTA predicted a 8.9 point lower NAPLEX total scaled score after accounting for other variables and was also correlated with lower cumulative didactic GPA, performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), and increased likelihood of requiring course remediation. Conclusion. High cognitive test anxiety affects 18% of pharmacy students and may significantly impact their performance on a variety of traditional student success measures, including the NAPLEX. Pharmacy educators should consider further use and adoption of test anxiety measurements to identify and assist potentially struggling students.

A Pharmacy Drug Knowledge Assessment Pilot: Who Will Fly Farthest and What Downs the Plane?

“…These items may contribute to test anxiety as learners wrestle to retrieve drug characteristic knowledge within the given timeframe based on the requested information or scenario presented. This additive effect may worsen the negative influence of test anxiety documented in the literature on academic performance, problem-solving abilities, reduced self-efficacy, and decreased perception of self-worth [ 12 , 22 ]. It is also worth noting that the definitive thresholds for competency are unclear in pharmacy and medical education.…”

“…These concerns are equally notable in this study. Circumstantial factors such as student stress levels, timing of summative assessment (e.g., right before finals week), and personal mental health considerations may also influence student performance [ 12 ]. Faculty members and teaching assistants involved in the implementation of this study spent considerable time writing, vetting, overseeing, and assessing the pilot (>350 h, 840 questions).…”

“…However, some evidence suggests that frequent testing can help improve long-term learning and provides the benefits of formative assessments [ 11 ]. However, this must also be balanced with the impacts of increased testing frequency on testing anxiety (i.e., emotional disturbance and worry associated with test taking) as student pharmacists with a high cognitive test anxiety have been shown to test lower and have lower didactic grade point averages as a result [ 12 ].…”

Test anxiety, coping, and academic achievement: Maladaptive perfectionism as a moderator

“…Чини се да механизми суочавања са евалуативним стресом (нарочито стратегије превладавања усмерене на емоције) представљају значајне медијатор варијабле у релацији између висине изражености испитне стрепње и когнитивне перформансе (Ader & Erktin, 2010;Genc, 2017). Надаље, показало се да испитно анксиозни студенти изразито често упражњавају понашања из категорије избегавања, са посебним акцентом на прокрастинацији (Burcaş & Creţu, 2020;Pate et al, 2021;Wuthrich, Jagiello & Azzi, 2020).…”

“…It would appear that mechanisms for coping with evaluative stress (particularly emotion-focused strategies) constitute significant mediator variables in the relation between test anxiety levels and cognitive performance (Ader & Erktin, 2010;Genc, 2017). Furthermore, it has been shown that students with test anxiety are particularly prone to avoidance behaviors, especially procrastination (Burcaş & Creţu, 2020;Pate et al, 2021;Wuthrich, Jagiello & Azzi, 2020).…”