exam anxiety among dental students of kerman university of medical sciences, iran, in 2013

background & objective: exam anxiety is a significant problem among university students and can be accompanied by a decline in performance and severe psychological problems. this study was designed to investigate exam anxiety levels among dental students of kerman university of medical sciences, iran, in 2013. methods: this descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on dental students of kerman university of medical sciences. the participants were selected using census method. the data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of the 20-item standard exam anxiety questionnaire (spielberger), demographic characteristics, causes of anxiety, methods of decreasing exam anxiety, and exam method. data were analyzed using spss software, and linear regression and student ' s t-test. results: of the participants, 56.57% were men, their mean age was 22.7 ± 2.18, and 37.71% lived with their parents. the mean score of the exam anxiety questionnaire was 47.29 ± 10.57, the maximum score being 80. the first activity during leisure time was exercising (30%) and fear of failure was the first cause of exam anxiety. theoretical final exams were the cause of the exam anxiety in 54.90% of participants. seeing friends was the most common method of decreasing anxiety. there was no significant correlation between mean exam anxiety score and sex, age, academic year, marriage status, and academic performance. a significant correlation was observed between area of residence and mean exam anxiety score. conclusion: based on our findings, dental students had varying degrees of exam anxiety. thus, we recommend the training of exam anxiety reduction methods during the course of the term by professionals.