The Effects of Immediate Forewarning of Test Difficulty on Test Performance in Applied Educational Context
Rabail Qayyum, Dr Zeenat Ismail

Abstract
Researchers have always been concerned with factors that predict students’ test performance. The current study closely examined the effect of immediate forewarning of test difficulty on test performance. Previous research was conducted in a controlled setting detached from actual classroom context. It was hypothesised that low trait anxiety would be associated with better test performance, when given immediate forewarning of test difficulty, than high trait anxiety. Thirty-eight undergraduates were randomly assigned to three conditions: group A was given the warning that the test would be difficult; group B was told that the test would be easy; and group C was not given any warning at all. The students filled in STAI questionnaires and then completed a written test. The results were inconsistent with previous studies and revealed that neither trait nor state anxiety influenced performance. Correlations of both trait and state anxieties with test scores were very weak. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

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