The relationship among testwiseness, test anxiety, and study strategies

This study investigated the relationship among testwiseness, test anxiety, and study strategies. Participants were 160 female and 39 male students in undergraduate psychology courses at a state university in the southeastern United States. Subjects completed a demographics questionnaire, as well as, three self-report measures that assess testwiseness, test anxiety, and study strategies. Student\u27s performance was assessed through the initial exam grade for the semester. The results showed that testwiseness was related to cognitive processing ability. Students\u27 attitudes predicted decrements in performance; however, ability to maintain concentration predicted increases in performance. Total test anxiety as measured by the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI; Spielberger, 1980) was related to the Anxiety scale of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI; Weinstein, 1987) indicating more pervasive school anxiety. The Test Strategy scale of the LASSI was negatively related to the W scale of the TAI. Students grouped into low, moderate, and high test anxiety groups exhibited learning and study strategy differences in numerous areas. Lastly, the differences in learning and study strategies exhibited by these groups showed differential affects on performance. Counseling recommendations, as well as the limitations for this study are also discussed