A Causal Investigation of Test Anxiety and Its Coping Methods Among College Students

The main purpose of the research is to investigate causal test anxiety among college students and how to cope with it. The sample under investigation consisted of 200 students from a university in Mohaghegh Ardebili University. Expost – facto research method is used and a correlation analysis is also conducted to explore the relationships of variables of interest. The researchers’ questionnaire, Mehregan’s test anxiety questionnaire and Najarian’s general anxiety scale were used to gather data. The results show that: There is a significant difference between males and females based on the anxiety variable (p<0.05). There is a significant difference between males and females based on the general anxiety variable (p<0.05). There is a significant positive relationship between test anxiety and general anxiety (p<0.05). Coping methods had significant negative relationships with test anxiety and general anxiety (p<0.05). Lacd of concentration, abstraction and inappropriateness of test environment affect the students’ test anxiety. Out of coping methods, the students use invocation of God and cognitive-behavioral techniques more than others.