‘It is the situation that makes it difficult’: Experiences of nursing students faced with a high-stakes drug calculation test

Test anxiety affects the learning, performance and well-being of students, and it increases as the stakes get higher. Norwegian nursing students must pass a drug calculation test with a flawless performance if they are to qualify as nurses. The aim of the current study was to investigate the test anxiety experiences of students faced with such a high-stakes test. We used a mixed methods approach where the data were collected using a survey questionnaire and a focus group interview. In total, 203 freshman nursing students completed the questionnaire, six of whom also participated in the focus group interview. The survey results showed that 44.3% of the students reported high mathematics test anxiety in the months before the drug calculation test. More than 12% of the high-anxiety students reported a low mathematics self-concept. High and medium self-concept students also experienced high test anxiety. Our analysis of the focus group interview data confirmed that the high stakes of the test increased the test anxiety dramatically.