Literature Review regarding Test Anxiety Factors in Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53089/medula.v16i2.1798Keywords:
Academic performance, causative factors, student well-being, test anxietyAbstract
Test anxiety is a common psychological condition experienced by university students and can negatively affect academic performance and psychological well-being. This study aimed to examine the causes, manifestations, and impacts of test anxiety among students through a literature review approach. Relevant literature was obtained from Google Scholar and national and international scientific databases using the keywords “test anxiety,” “exam anxiety,” “students,” and “academic performance.” A total of 23 articles published between 2010 and 2025 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed narratively. The findings revealed that test anxiety is influenced by various factors, including academic demands, social pressures, individual characteristics, and learning environment conditions. One of the reviewed studies by Bhuwana (2025) reported that 98.5% of students (197 of 200 respondents) experienced anxiety during the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), with the primary causes being limited examination time (21%), the large amount of material to be studied (20.5%), and difficulties maintaining concentration or experiencing forgetfulness during examinations (19.5%). Manifestations of test anxiety include physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms such as increased heart rate, excessive worry, negative thoughts, impaired concentration, and procrastination. These symptoms may contribute to lower academic achievement, reduced learning motivation, increased stress levels, and emotional exhaustion. Therefore, effective stress management strategies and institutional support are essential to help students cope with examination-related stress, improve academic performance, and maintain psychological well-being through supportive learning environments and accessible counseling services.
References
D. N. Padilah and L. Purwantini, “Pengaruh Optimisme Terhadap Kecemasan Akademik Pada Mahasiswa Semester 1-5,” Kampus Akad. Publishing J. Ilm. Nusant. ( JINU), vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 428–438, 2025.
S. C. Bhuwana, “Faktor Penyebab Kecemasan Mahasiswa FK UMSU saat Osce,” Vitam. J. Ilmu Kesehat. Umum, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 112–121, 2025.
D. Istiantoro, “Identifikasi Faktor Penyebab Kecemasan Akademik Pada Siswa Kelas XI Di SMA Negeri 3 Bantul,” J. Ris. Mhs. Bimbing. dan Konseling, vol. 4, no. 10, 2018.
K. Puskar, L. M. Bernardo, D. Ren, K. H. Stark, and S. Lester, “Gender Differences in Self-Reported Anxiety in Rural Youth,” NIH Public Access, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 417–423, 2010
N. Alshareef, S. Giga, and I. Fletcher, “Test anxiety , emotional regulation and academic performance among medical students : a qualitative study,” Med. Educ. Online, vol. 30, no. 1, 2025.
R. Agustina and K. L. Rachman, “Strategi Copyng Stres Akademik Mahasiswa Melalui Terapi Al Quran,” J. Islam. Educ. Guid. Couns., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1–15, 2025.
S. Ulfa and A. Siregar, “Pengaruh Layanan Konseling Kelompok Dengan Teknik Art Therapy Terhadap Kecemasan Akademik Siswa,” Schoulid Indones. J. Sch. Couns., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 37–53, 2025.
M. Widiastuti, D. Fitria, and T. Setaningsih, “Faktor – Faktor Yang Memengaruhi Stres Akademik Mahasiswa Tingkat Akhir Yang Menghadapi Ujian Akhir Skripsi,” J. Kesehat. TAMBUSAI, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 9739–9760, 2025.
J. Nabila and Y. T. Syahputra, “Pengaruh Kecemasan Terhadap Prestasi Akademik Pada,” J. Ilm. Zo. Psikol., vol. 7, no. 3, 2025.
N. Nola, A. Angkat, C. Lister, and J. Lina, “Hubungan Tingkat Penyesuaian Diri Terhadap Tuntutan Akademik Dengan Derajat Stress Pada Mahasiswa Baru Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Prima Indonesia,” J. Impresi Indones., vol. 04, no. 11, pp. 4044–4056, 2025.
A. Afifullah, “Pengaruh Self Efficacy Terhadap Kecemasan Akademik Dalam Menghadapi Ujian Akhir Santri Ponpes MQ Al-Islami,” Acad. J. Inov. Ris. Akad., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1–8, 2025.
J. Shin, H. J. Lee, H. Park, Y. Hong, Y. K. Song, and D. U. Yoon, “Perfectionism , test anxiety , and neuroticism determines high academic performance : a cross-sectional study,” BMC Psychol., vol. 11, no. 410, pp. 1–10, 2023.
H. Situmorang, S. Kristi, B. Sinuraya, and F. E. Sidabutar, “Studi Kualitatif Tentang Kecemasan Akademik Siswa Kelas 9 SMP Menjelang Ujian,” Lapak J., vol. 01, no. 01, 2025, [Online].
A. Mumtaza, “Pengaruh Strategi Coping Stress dan Social Support Terhadap Perilaku Compulsive Buying Pada Mahasiswa Rantau,” Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, 2025.
K. Tanan, L. Hotmaida, and N. Sitorus, “Hubungan Tingkat Kecemasan dengan Kualitas Tidur pada Mahasiswa Institut Kesehatan Immanuel,” J. Ilmu Kesehat. Immanuel, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 36–41, 2024.
F. Ghasemi, D. Q. Beversdorf, and K. C. Herman, “Stress and stress responses : A narrative literature review from physiological mechanisms to intervention approaches,” J. Pacific Rim Psychol., vol. 18, no. 1, p. 20, 2024.
K. A. Syahda, D. Widad, R. Saputra, and A. Kusmawati, “Strategi Coping Terhadap Remaja Yang Mengalami Kecemasan Akademik,” J. Pendidikan, Sos. Hum., vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1035–1044, 2025.
Y. Tang and W. He, “Meta-analysis of the relationship between university students ’ anxiety and academic performance during the coronavirus disease pandemic,” Front. Physiol., vol. 14, no. 14, 2023.
D. W. Putwain, J. Jansen, and D. Wal, “Academic Buoyancy : Overcoming Test Anxiety and Setbacks,” J. Intell., vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 1–16, 2023.
M. A. Rauf, N. Puspitasari, and N. Aprilya, “Hubungan Motivasi Belajar dengan Kecemasan Mahasiswa saat Menghadapi Ujian Pelaksanaan Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Periode III Program Studi Sarjana Terapan Gizi Klinik Politeknik Negeri Jember,” J. Kesehat. Pertiwi, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 1–6, 2024.
S. C. Rodeles, F. Javier, M. Sánchez, and M. Martínez-sellés, “Physician and Medical Student Burnout , a Narrative Literature Review : Challenges , Strategies , and a Call to Action,” J. Clin. Med., vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 1–18, 2025.
F. Farrasia, D. Safira, S. Hairul, S. P. Ramadhani, Z. Asroh, and Yulandari, “Tingkat Kecemasan Akademik Pada Siswa Ditinjau Dari Perbedaan Gender,” Educ. J. Educ. Learn., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 49–57, 2023.
C. L. Nwadi et al., “Impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction in mitigating test anxiety and enhancing academic achievement among vocational education students at Nigerian universities,” BMC Med. Educ., vol. 25, no. 1, 2025.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Medical Profession Journal of Lampung
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
