Exploring the Impact of Test Anxiety on Performance and Retention of First Year Engineering Students

Underrepresented populations (e.g., women in engineering majors) often report higher levels of test anxiety, which has been related to the use of surface study strategies, procrastination, and poor exam performance. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the relationship between test anxiety and first semester performance and first year retention among engineering students in two cohorts. Compared to males, females reported higher levels of anxiety and there was a negative correlation between anxiety scores and first semester GPA for both males and females. The relationship between anxiety and retention was mixed based on the anxiety measure used and gender. These results suggest the need to explore psychologically informed interventions to help ameliorate the negative impact of test anxiety on academic performance. Educators in engineering could leverage empirically validated interventions to help improve the mental health, performance, and retention of students who struggle with test anxiety.