The effects of acute test anxiety on NBME Part I performance

This study examined the associated effects of acute test-taking anxiety on the performance of a class of second-year medical students who took Part I of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Examination. The study is a follow-up of a previous study that examined the related effects of chronic anxiety on NBME Part I performance. The purpose of this study was to observe whether there was a relationship between acute anxiety and NBME performance and, further, if there were distinguishable differences in the effects of acute and chronic test anxiety on NBME performance. The first study indicated a significant relationship between chronic anxiety and NBME performance. The results of the present study indicate a relationship between acute test anxiety and NBME performance, but not to the extent associated with chronic anxiety, thus chronic test anxiety may be a more critical factor affecting test performance on critical examinations such as the NBME. Implications concerning anxiety and test performance are discussed.