Psychological Preparedness and Test Anxiety Among Licensure Examination Takers: Towards A Proposed Support Program and Academic Intervention for a Philippine Higher Education Institution

Abstract

Academic interventions are important component of the services of Higher Education Institutions which is critical to develop the future career skills of students particularly in the teacher education programs.    This study endeavoured to examine the psychological preparedness and test anxiety among Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) takers, with the aim of informing better academic interventions and implications of programs that support these facets. The study employed descriptive quantitative research design with 104 respondents using psychological standardized research instruments such as the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE) and the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI).  The study found out that psychological preparedness such as coping mechanisms, self-confidence, and test strategies played a crucial role on how LET takers cope with the pressures of the board examinations. Further, such test anxiety weakened concentration, downgraded performance, and affected outcomes, impeding professional and socio-economic growth. Findings of this research posited important insights for creating organized support programs, counselling sessions, and academic interventions that were tailored to the needs, especially for teacher education students particularly the Project CALM (Coping and Academic Learning Management Program) as an initiative.