Exploration of Test Anxiety Profiles in U.S. Undergraduate Students

Abstract

The present study was conducted using latent profile analysis to determine whether homogeneous test anxiety groups could be identified among 625 undergraduates and to determine whether gender, self-critical perfectionism, and rigid perfectionism were significant predictors of class membership in the identified test anxiety groups. The students completed two multidimensional instruments, measures of test anxiety and perfectionism, online. Results of the latent profile analysis identified a test anxiety profile with three homogeneous groups as the best model. The three homogeneous groups were labeled low, medium, and high. Moreover, gender, self-critical perfectionism, and rigid perfectionism were found to predict class membership differentially in the three homogeneous groups. Implications of the results are discussed in relation to prevention and intervention in the fields of perfectionism and test anxiety.