Validity Evidence of the Anxiety Inventory before Examinations for Brazilian University Students

Abstract Assessments in higher education are a significant source of anxiety among students. This study aimed to gather validity evidence for the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). A total of 360 students participated, most of whom were enrolled in private institutions (56.9%) and in the field of Human Sciences (56.4%), with a particular emphasis on the Pedagogy course (57.2%). Data analysis was conducted using R Studio and SPSS software. The results show evidence of content validity, indicating the linguistic appropriateness of the items in accordance with standard Portuguese. A unidimensional structure of the instrument was also confirmed, with robust psychometric indices (χ² (137) = 220.689, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.04; GFI = 0.99; SRMR = 0.06; TLI = 0.99; ECVI = 0.81). Internal consistency was found to be statistically satisfactory in both versions of the inventory. It is concluded that the instrument presents adequate psychometric evidence, despite some minor limitations, and proves to be a valid and reliable tool for use in clinical and educational settings, particularly for monitoring students who experience anxiety in evaluative situations.