Assessing the Latent Structure of the Multidimensional Test Anxiety Scale in a University Sample: An Exploratory Graph Analysis Study

The Multidimensional Test Anxiety Scale is a self-report instrument designed to assess the cognitive, affective, and physiological manifestations of test anxiety. To date, researchers have provided evidence of the instrument’s psychometric properties when administered in K–12 and university samples in institutions in England and Wales. Thus, the current study was designed to investigate the latent structure of the instrument within a sample of United States university students using a novel statistical technique. University students ( N = 412, <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mover accent="true"> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:mo>¯</mml:mo> </mml:mover> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> Age = 26.95, SD Age = 8.76, 84.34% female, 65.06% Caucasian) completed the Multidimensional Test Anxiety Scale, Reactions to Tests – Reduced, and Well-being Profile-Short Form, and a demographics form. Using bootstrapped exploratory graph analysis, we determined a three-dimensional solution consisting of worry, cognitive interference, and physiological indicators dimensions was optimal. Further, reliability analyses revealed internal consistency estimates for the extracted factors were within acceptable limits. Finally, correlational analyses provided evidence of the concurrent validity of the Multidimensional Test Anxiety Scale.