Low academic achievement as a predictor of test anxiety in secondary school students

Objectives. – The present study had two objectives: 1) to examine the differences between students with different levels of academic achievement (low, average and high) in Anxiety/Depression and Test Anxiety; and 2) to test the predictive effect of academic achievement on test anxiety. Method. – Data were collected in two moments. In time 1, the sample was comprised of 305 students. The students were aged between 15 to 18 years, attending secondary school. The assessment protocol consisted of a Socio-demographic Data Sheet, the Youth Self-Report and the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale. Results. – Students with low academic achievement presented higher test anxiety than students with average and high academic achievement. Low academic achievement on time 1 predicted higher levels of test anxiety on time 2 when186 participants remained in the study. Conclusion. – Results suggest the importance of early psychological intervention with students with low academic achievement, and the relevance of promoting the development of skills that enable students to manage their test anxiety.