Abstract

Test anxiety seems like a benign problem to some people, but it can be potentially serious when it leads to high levels of distress and academic failure. The aim of this study is to define the correlation among high school senior students’ test anxiety, academic performance (GPA) and points of university entrance exam (UEE). The study group of the research was composed of 194 high school senior students in Turkey. To specify students’ test anxiety, “Test Anxiety Inventory” developed bySpielberge et al. and adopted into Turkish by Oner was used. The data on students’ UEE points and GPA were obtained from school administration. In the result of pearson correlation analysis, it was found significant reverse correlation between students’ test anxiety and points of UEE. It was also seen significant positive correlation between students’ GPA and scores of UEE. Besides, in the analysis done according to gender, the result showed that although there was a significant reverse correlation between female students’ test anxiety and points of UEE, it was seen a significant positive correlation between their points of UEE and their GPA. According to data analysis done for male students, significant positive correlation between male students’ GPA and points of UEE occured. Following t-test results, it was found significant difference in test anxiety and GPA in favor of female students and in points of UEE in favor of male students. These findings extend the previous studies carried out on test anxiety and its reflections and encourage further studies.

Key words: Test anxiety, academic achievement, and university entrance exam