ANALYSIS OF TEST ANXIETY AMONG STUDENTS OF MEDICAL SCIENCES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Test anxiety is a pathological fear that occurs before and during testing. It can be manifested with both somatic and cognitive symptoms. The purpose of this crosssectional study was to analyse test anxiety among students at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad. A total of 375 respondents completed the Test Anxiety Inventory – TAI, a widely used inventory for assessing test anxiety that is most commonly used in school and student populations. Sociodemographic and educational characteristics of the respondents were collected as well. In this sample, 15.5% of participants experienced no anxiety, 42.2% mild anxiety, 36.5% moderate anxiety, while 5.8% demonstrated severe anxiety. The average overall TAI score was 48.25 points. Females, those who finance studies on their own, those who renewed a previous year of studies and those with a lower grade point average experienced the highest levels of test anxiety. There was no statistically significant difference in the intensity of test anxiety between students from different study programs (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing science) and different years of studies at this faculty. This study discovered a significant number of students suffering from test anxiety, which can be a factor affecting their academic performance. We identified the vulnerable population of students who should be given priority access to professional counseling.