Striving for Excellence or Chasing Perfection? Differential Associations with Test Anxiety for Students in Tertiary Education

Past studies have found an unexpectedly small and inconsistent association between perfectionistic standards and test anxiety. Our goal was to unpack this association through the lens of a novel theory: The Model of Excellencism and Perfectionism. Results of Study 1 (N= 273) showed higher test anxiety, fear of failure, and mistake rumination for perfection strivers compared to excellence strivers. Results of Study 2 (N= 248) replicated these findings. Also, they showed that perfection strivers are more likely than excellence strivers to catastrophize about small mistakes, use reassurance seeking safety behaviors, and underperform in their exams. Excellencism and perfectionism are related but different pursuits, and their differentiation is essential to unveil the unhealthy role of perfectionistic standards in the nomological network of test anxiety. Our findings realign empirical knowledge with theories and interventions and enhance the impetus to intervene on the perfectionistic standards of students in schools.