State and Trait Components of Test Anxiety and Their Implications for Treatment

Abstract

This study examines the relationships among state, trait, and test anxiety, and GPA in a sample of 87 undergraduate volunteers. Of those students 21 met the criteria for classification as test-anxious and participated in the treatment portion of the study. Pretreatment, posttreatment and follow-up scores of treated subjects on all anxiety scales and GPA were examined. The results suggest that test anxiety is more similar to trait anxiety than state anxiety. Furthermore, significant negative correlations between anxiety and GPA were noted. The treatment, 4 hr of group desensitization, seemed to be more effective with trait anxiety and test anxiety. The results are discussed in terms of factors which may account for the similarity between trait and test anxiety and the role of desensitization as a treatment.

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