Improving Multiple-Choice Test Performance for Examinees with Different Levels of Test Anxiety

Abstract
The effectiveness of a strategy for improving performance on multiple-choice items for examinees was assessed. An aptitude-treatment interaction model was used to test the possibility of different treatment effects for examinees with different levels of test anxiety. Undergraduate measurement students responded to the Mandler-Sarason Test Anxiety Scale and to an objective test covering course content. For low-anxious examinees, generation of an answer before selecting a multiple-choice response led to higher test performance; for highly test anxious examinees, there was a slightly negative effect on performance.