A STUDY OF STATE, TRAIT, AND TEST ANXIETY, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO ASSESSMENT-CENTER PERFORMANCE

A number of studies have indicated that a high proportion of assessmen t center (AC) candidates experience anxiety about the assessment proce ss. This study examined the relationship of anxiety to the performance of 38 participants in an assessment center. In contrast to previous r esearch, we utilized standard measures of state, trait and test anxiet y. Findings indicated that state anxiety was curvilinearly-related to several AC performance measures, with low and high anxiety being assoc iated with poor performance. Test anxiety showed an adverse effect on performance in a numerical test and a written exercise. Contrary to ex pectations, however, elevated trait anxiety was associated with better assessment ratings. Some explanations for these findings are advanced , and suggestions made for future research methodology in this area.