Confirming the Factor Structure of the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale: Comparing the Utility of Three Solutions

This study validated the factor structure of a popular assessment of learner's cognitive test anxiety. Following recent findings in a study with Argentinean students' use of the Spanish version of the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS), this study tested the factor structure using data from 742 students who completed the original English version in the United States. Comparison of three confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the prior finding that reverse-coded items included in the original CTAS produced a second factor that did not add to the model fit for the CTAS. In addition, the results identified that a reduced length (17-item) version of the CTAS that removed all reverse-coded items was preferable to the two-factor solution for the full scale. Implications for assessment of test anxiety as well as the use of reverse-coded items in self-report survey research are discussed.