Analysis of licensure examination anxiety and its influencing factors among undergraduate nursing students

Background: Examination anxiety is a concern for educational policymakers because of the impact it can have on the overall outcome of the performance of the candidates who partake in such examinations. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the examination anxiety level of students of Nursing and Midwifery College, Agogo, and Presbyterian University College and to evaluate the factors affecting them. Materials and Methods: A total of 160 undergraduate nursing students comprising 80 degree and 80 diploma students were conveniently sampled for the study. The study was conducted in September 2019 using a descriptive cross-sectional design. The Westside Test Anxiety Scale was used to measure examination anxiety among the participants. A researcher-designed questionnaire in which participants responded to a three-point Likert scale was used to assess factors influencing examination anxiety. Results: The findings of the study showed that test anxiety was higher among the diploma candidates (M = 3.60) than the degree candidates (M = 2.95) and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.024). Demographic characteristics such as age (P = 0.009), sex (P = 0.003), study hours per day (P = 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with test anxiety. The factors found to influence examination anxiety among students were volume of materials to study (P = 0.044), level of preparation (P = 0.005) perceived difficulty of the questions (P = 0.033) and myth about examinations (P = 0.000). The perceived importance of the examination (P = 0.057) and schedule of the exams (P = 0.68) did not influence examination anxiety. Conclusion: Candidates for the licensure examination organized by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana should be assessed for test anxiety and offered the necessary psychological support where necessary.