Students' emotional responses to high-stakes EFL proficiency examinations: a mixed-methods exploration of test anxiety and coping strategies in higher education

Purpose This study investigated EFL undergraduates' emotional responses to high-stakes English proficiency examinations in Indonesian higher education, with particular attention to the prevalence, sources and consequences of test anxiety and the coping strategies deployed in response. Design/methodology/approach A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed with 278 EFL undergraduates at a private university in East Java, Indonesia. Quantitative data were collected using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (adapted for examination contexts) and the Academic Coping Strategies Scale, and analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression. Qualitative data comprised 18 semi-structured interviews analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings Moderate-to-high test anxiety was prevalent across the sample (M = 3.71 on a 5-point scale), with fear of negative evaluation, insufficient preparation time and linguistic inadequacy self-perception identified as principal anxiety sources. Approach-oriented coping strategies (deep preparation, peer collaboration, self-regulation) significantly predicted lower anxiety and higher self-reported performance, while avoidance-oriented coping intensified anxiety trajectories. Qualitative narratives revealed three distinct emotional-coping profiles: adaptive regulators, anxious strivers and disengaged avoiders. Research limitations/implications Cross-sectional design limits causal inference; single-institution sampling constrains generalizability. Findings carry implications for examination design, pre-test preparation support and institutional mental health provision in EFL higher education. Originality/value This study advances understanding of high-stakes EFL examination experiences by moving beyond aggregate anxiety measurement to construct differentiated emotional-coping profiles that capture the behavioral and affective heterogeneity of undergraduate test-takers. Integrating psychometric and narrative evidence within a single institutional context, it reveals how anxiety sources, coping orientations and performance outcomes interact in ways that unidimensional survey approaches cannot detect, offering directly actionable insights for assessment design and psychological support provision in Indonesian higher education.