Westside Test Anxiety Scale

Rate how true each of the following is of you, from extremely or always true, to not at all or never true.

Use the following 5 point scale. Circle your answer:

5 4 3 2 1 extremely highly moderately slightly not at all

always usually sometimes seldom never

true true true true true

__ 1) The closer I am to a major exam, the harder it is for me to concentrate on the material.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 2) When I study, I worry that I will not remember the material on the exam.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 3) During important exams, I think that I am doing awful or that I may fail.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 4) I lose focus on important exams, and I cannot remember material that I knew before the exam.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 5) I finally remember the answer to exam questions after the exam is already over.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 6) I worry so much before a major exam that I am too worn out to do my best on the exam.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 7) I feel out of sorts or not really myself when I take important exams.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 8) I find that my mind sometimes wanders when I am taking important exams.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 9) After an exam, I worry about whether I did well enough.

5 4 3 2 1

__ 10) I struggle with writing assignments, or avoid them as long as I can. I feel that whatever I do will not be good enough.

5 4 3 2 1

_____ Sum of the 10 questions

< _____ > Divide the sum by 10. This is your Test Anxiety score.

Name ____________________ phone _____________ email ____________________

School ____________

© 2004 by Richard Driscoll, Ph.D. You have permission to copy this scale.
Please include author and web address: testanxietycontrol.com/

What does your score mean?

< _____ > Test Anxiety score (from Front).

What does your test anxiety score mean?:

1.0—1.9 Comfortably low test anxiety

2.0—2.5 Normal or average test anxiety

2.5—2.9 High normal test anxiety

3.0—3.4 Moderately high (some items rated 4=high)

3.5—3.9 High test anxiety (half or more of the items rated 4=high)

4.0—5.0 Extremely high anxiety (items rated 4=high and 5=extreme)

Recommendations.

We have found that students who score at least 3.0 or more on our scale (at least moderately high anxiety) tend to benefit from anxiety reduction training, reporting lower anxiety and improved test scores and class grades.

We recommend an accelerated test-anxiety reduction training. See: TestAnxietyControl.com

Rationale.

The Westside scale picks up performance impairment and intrusive worry:

Impairment (memory loss and poor cognitive processing) — Items #1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10

Worry (catastrophizing) — Items #2, 3, 7, 9

Physiological symptoms — no items.

The scale is constructed to measure anxiety impairments, with most items asking directly about performance impairment or about worrying, which interferes with concentration. Symptoms of physiological stress are found to be relatively weak indicators of performance impairments, and are not included in the scale.

The Westside Scale is found to be an highly sensitive measure of anxiety impairment.
See validation research at: TestAnxietyControl.com/research/

See American Test Anxieties Association: www.amtaa.org for further information on test anxieties.