Effects of Anxiety Type and Item Difficulty Sequencing on Mathematics Aptitude Test Performance. Tech Memo Number 46.

Effects of item difficulty sequencing on performance and on post state anxiety were investigated using a timed mathematics aptitude test. The subjects were randomly assigned to a random, easy-to-hard, or hard-to-easy difficulty sequence group. The hard-to-easy sequence group performance was significantly lower than either the random or easy-to-hard sequence groups. Though not statistically different, 1) the mathematics aptitude test scores of four achievement anxiety types grouped using the Achievement Anxiety Test, and 2) levels of state anxiety provoked by the three difficulty sequences were in the predicted direction. (Author)