The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on student test anxiety with an aim to identify if specified factors pose a risk for higher anxiety perceived by students and to identify gaps in student support to inform further actions to enhance student success.

Methods
Students were invited to participate in a voluntary, confidential online survey consisting of multiple-choice, Likert scale, and qualitative items. Survey questions include demographics, student resources, comparisons prior to and during the pandemic related to residence, sleep, exercise, academic preparation, and perceived anxiety. Integrated into the survey is a validated Online Test Anxiety Inventory developed by Abolghasemi et. al and a separate Coronavirus Anxiety Scale.  Dependent variables include psychological, physiological, and online anxiety. Independent variables include faculty and staff support, caregiver status, residence change, race, gender, undergraduate versus graduate status, cumulative GPA, and coronavirus anxiety. A stepwise regression model was employed and qualitative comments reviewed for themes.

Results
66 students (79% response rate) participated in this study.   
32.2% variance of students’ psychological anxiety and 32.5% variance of students’ physiological anxiety are explained by 2 independent variables (cumulative GPA, coronavirus anxiety). When controlling other variables, with 1 point increase on student’s GPA, psychological anxiety will reduce 6.815 units; with 1 unit increase on coronavirus anxiety, the psychological anxiety will increase 0.649 units; with 1 point increase in students’ GPA, the physiological anxiety will decrease 3.606 units; and with 1 unit increase in coronavirus anxiety, the physiological anxiety will increase 0.699 units.  No independent variables were selected into the final model for online anxiety based on stepwise regression.  

Qualitative data themes include student requests for practice questions and study guides, and anxiety related to online proctoring systems.  

Conclusion
Recognizing the influence of the pandemic on student academic performance is crucial to providing student-centric support to foster student wellness. It is essential to note that students’ lived experiences vary, and the need exists to explore individual challenges faced by students to construct support structures that nurture the individual.  Students’ return to in-person learning and assessment methods at the end of the pandemic presents an opportunity to investigate factors that contribute to student success in readjusting to the in-person classroom.