Test Anxiety Symptoms in College Students: Base Rates and Statistical Deviance

Test anxiety is a common concern in students of all ages, and over the past few decades, there has been debate about whether to consider test anxiety a formal psychological disorder, or even a disability under the law. The present study informs those debates with information about the base rates of different test anxiety symptoms in a large sample of college students (n = 2773). Students completed the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) as well as a demographics questionnaire. More than half of students indicated “often” or “almost always” feeling very uneasy before getting a test back, and most symptoms were endorsed as being present at least “often” by 25% of participants or more. In addition, expected demographic trends in test anxiety levels by gender, ethnicity, and diagnostic status were found in this large sample. Implications for clinical and disability classification of test anxiety are discussed, along with directions for future research.