TEST ANXIETY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The present study aims at comparing test anxiety among secondary school students and university students to reveal if the interventions for reducing test anxiety should be focused more on secondary school students who do not have enough skills for emotional management. The Bulgarian version of the Westside Test Anxiety Scale was used among 60 junior high school/middle school students, 30 high school students and 90 university students. It was found that test anxiety diminished with age advance. Higher test anxiety was manifested during the school/academic year than at the beginning of the school year. The interventions for reducing test anxiety should be focused mainly on overcoming negative thoughts, and negative self-talk during exams, and worry about own performance after the exam. Keywords: test anxiety, secondary school students, university students