Mindfulness and Test Anxiety among NEET Coaching Students

Abstract

One of the most competitive entrance examinations in India is the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ( NEET ) which puts a lot of academic and psychological pressure on the aspirants. It is common that due to prolonged preparation, repetitive mock test, and high performance expectation among coaching students result in very high test anxiety. This study has explored how mindfulness and test anxiety are connected with NEET coaching students. Quantitative correlational research design was taken. A total of 300 students chosen in different NEET coaching centers were used in the sample with the help of the stratified random sampling. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire short form was used to measure mindfulness and Test Anxiety Inventory was used to measure test anxiety. Data analysis were done through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The results showed that the students had moderate mindfulness and moderate high anxiety levels on the test. Mindfulness had a negative relationship with test anxiety (r = -0.57, p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that mindfulness is a significant predictor of test anxiety and it explains 32 percent of the variance. The findings indicate that an increased degree of present moment awareness and an enhanced emotional control is linked to the decreased examination anxiety. The authors note that introducing mindfulness-based interventions to the coaching context is crucial in the pursuit of emotional stability and anxiety reduction in NEET aspirants.