Published Paper Details:

In the contemporary academic landscape, students encounter heightened anxiety attributed to intense competition, with medical school students facing particularly elevated levels compared to other educational disciplines. Test anxiety, characterized by somatic, cognitive, and behavioral manifestations during exam preparation and performance, is a significant concern. This study aimed to ascertain whether extroversion or neuroticism, as personality trait dimensions, correlates more strongly with test anxiety. The research encompassed 190 first and second-year medical students at USM-KLE International Medical College, Belagavi, Karnataka, India. Personality dimensions were assessed using the Eysenck Personality Inventory, while test anxiety was measured using the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) developed by Charles D. Spielberger. Findings indicate that higher neuroticism scores correspond to elevated test anxiety among students (with a significant 't' value of 5.34 at the 0.05 level of significance). The implications of this study underscore the importance of implementing intervention strategies such as breathing exercises and relaxation techniques for students grappling with heightened test anxiety.