Students taking online and proctored online exams report higher test anxiety than students taking on-campus exams and non-proctored online exams¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2022 · checked against its sources 2026-10-16 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students in online exams showed higher test anxiety than students in on-campus exams or assignments (β = 0.82, SE = 0.15, p < 0.001). → Conijn 2022 q2 i? Proctored online exams showed higher test anxiety than non-proctored online exams (β = 0.60, SE = 0.17, p < 0.001), though proctoring became insignificant (p = 0.06) when online status was controlled. → Conijn 2022 (2)

Evidence¶

Conijn 2022¶

Conijn, R., Kleingeld, A., Matzat, U., & Snijders, C. (2022). The fear of big brother: The potential negative side-effects of proctored exams. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(6), 1521-1534. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12651

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Multi-level regression on test anxiety (38% of variance at student level, 14% at course level) from the four-wave survey of 1760 students in 105 courses. Online exams showed "higher test anxiety, compared to students in on-campus exams or assignments ( β = 0.82, SE = 0.15, p < 0.001)".

"students in (non-proctored and proctored) online exams showed higher test anxiety, compared to students in on-campus exams or assignments ( β = 0.82, SE = 0.15, p < 0.001)."

Conijn 2022 (2)¶

Conijn, R., Kleingeld, A., Matzat, U., & Snijders, C. (2022). The fear of big brother: The potential negative side-effects of proctored exams. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(6), 1521-1534. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12651

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Separate multi-level model on the same survey data comparing exam types. The study reports "Proctored online exams showed higher test anxiety compared to non-proctored online exams ( β = 0.60, SE = 0.17, p < 0.001)", with proctoring becoming insignificant (p = 0.06) when online status was in the model.

"Proctored online exams showed higher test anxiety compared to non-proctored online exams ( β = 0.60, SE = 0.17, p < 0.001)."

Studies bearing on this claim¶

Does the format and setting of an assessment change how anxious learners are about it? This table gathers the studies behind this claim and the 15 narrower claims that bear on it: 14 distinct studies (4 review, 3 causal, 2 associational, 2 qualitative, 2 theoretical, 1 quant-synthesis), q2–q4, 2 of 14 with an effect size coded. One row per study, codes as each entry records them; no effect is averaged and no verdict is drawn. Built by scripts/synthesize_claim.py from eval/synthesis/; a row that looks wrong is fixed on the claim it comes from.

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Affect Regulation — outcome: instruction changes it
• Academic Anxiety — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Familiarity with online and proctored exams, approximated by exam quartile, shows no effect on test anxiety — related
• Higher internet literacy is associated with lower test anxiety in online exams — related
• Test anxiety is negatively associated with exam performance, and no moderation by proctoring was detected — related
• Lack of study space and financial issues are associated with higher test anxiety in online exams, and reliable technology with lower — related
• Proctored online exams show no effect on students' perceived exam difficulty — related
• Proctored online exams show no effect on students' exam performance — related
• Computer-based test advantages can be used to manage the effects of test anxiety as a construct-irrelevant factor — related
• Student anxiety under remote proctoring is mixed: some students report reduced anxiety from home comfort and no travel, while others face anxiety from connectivity issues and fear of wrongful accusations — related
• In a course that had removed examinations, most student groups designing a fair grading policy reinvented proctored or handwritten assessment — related
• Two-part collaborative assessment, individual then group answering, transforms summative testing into a learning experience and may reduce test anxiety — related
• Students report that tests dominate assessment, carry too much weight, and create stress, while extended performance-based assessments offer better opportunities to learn and showcase learning — related
• In a Spring 2026 pilot (N=98), 52% of students reported lower stress during the AI-mediated Socratic Test than in traditional exams — related
• Moving oral assessments online reduced required support staff hours from almost 8 days to 3 days — related
• Oral assessments can induce more anxiety than written ones, yet many students still prefer them — related
• Poorly designed or misused assessment practices can harm students through increased anxiety, lost learning time, and deficit-based messages — a broader claim this one bears on