Test Anxiety and Test Performance: Comparing Paper-Based and Computer-Adaptive Versions of the Graduate Record Examinations (Gre©) General Test

Abstract

Despite some assumptions to the contrary, there is reason to believe that the introduction of computer-adaptive testing may actually help to alleviate test anxiety and diminish the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. This study provided a test of this hypothesis. Results are based on a sample of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE©) General Test takers who took the computer-adaptive version of the test, and another sample of GRE examinees who took the paper-based version of the test. After taking the test, all examinees completed both a test anxiety inventory and an inventory concerning attitudes toward computers. Relationships were examined between performance on each of the three GRE General Test measures and reports of test anxiety (both worry and emotionality) and computer attitudes (both anxiety and confidence). For both the test anxiety and the computer attitudes scales, the relationship to GRE scores was similar for the computer-adaptive and paper-based GRE General Test. Thus, there was no support for the study's major hypothesis. Several ancillary findings, however, do have implications for large-scale testing programs, especially those moving to computer-based testing.