Multiple Choice Test-Taking Strategies, Test Anxiety, and EFL Students’ Achievement

Abstract

Successfully taking a multiple-choice test requires understanding the testing situation and knowing how to take the test efficiently. This study analyses the relationship between multiple-choice test-taking strategies (MCTTSs), test anxiety and the English language achievement of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. A mixed-methods approach – quantitative and qualitative – is used by collecting data using a questionnaire and interviews, to increase the research validity. The MCTTS questionnaire of Nguyen (2003), and the test anxiety scale of Aydin et al. (2006) and Burgucu et al. (2011), were used. A total of 727 male and female students from different academic levels and tertiary colleges at an English language centre were chosen as samples. The results broadly show a positive correlation between MCTTSs and English language achievement and a negative relationship between MCTTSs and test anxiety. However, the results revealed significantly higher English language achievement by the female students than the male students. However, there was no difference in the MCTTSs and the degree of test anxiety according to gender. The results suggest raising teachers’ and students’ awareness of the importance of using test-taking strategies. Furthermore, the results can help English language instructors to explain test scores from a different viewpoint, to provide a reliable assessment of language students’ true competence and to reduce the likelihood of measurement errors.