Cognition, Study Habits, Test Anxiety, and Academic Performance

TLDR

The SMART was developed to assess study‑related cognitions, time management, and study strategies. The SMART was administered in three prospective studies alongside optimism and test‑anxiety measures. SMART scales, particularly Test Competence and Time Management, showed the strongest positive correlations with academic performance (R = 0.61), consistently across studies, indicating a profile of successful students.

Abstract

The Study Management and Academic Results Test (SMART) was developed to measure study- and examination-related cognitions, time management, and study strategies. This questionnaire was used in three prospective studies, together with measures for optimism and test anxiety. In the first two studies, done among 253 first-year students enrolled in four different faculties, the highest significant correlations with academic performance were found for the SMART scales. In a replication study among first-year medical students (n = 156) at a different university, the same pattern of results was observed. A stepwise multiple regression analysis, with academic performance as a dependent variable, showed significant correlations only for the SMART Test Competence and Time Management (Multiple R = .61). Results give specific indications about the profile of successful students.