evaluation of coping styles, metacognition and its relationship with test anxiety in tehran teacher training university

background and purpose: causal relationships between coping strategies, metacognitive beliefs and test anxiety, according to the self-regulatory executive function model of wells and matthews (1999) in college students was evaluated. material and methods: 638 students of tarbiat moallem university of tehran and agriculturalogy faculty were participated from aban to azar 2010 by quota sampling method. students completed coping inventory for stressful situations of endler and parker (1990), test anxiety inventory (najariyan et al., 1996), metacognitions questionnaire 30 (cartwright-hatton and wells, 1997). results: emotion-oriented and problem-oriented coping strategies, in the relationship between metacognition and test anxiety in students had a mediating role. but avoidance coping didn’t had not a mediating effect, in the relationship between metacognition and test anxiety in students. among of the five dimensions, only positive metacognitive beliefs and cognitive confidence had a direct effect on test anxiety. but effects of other dimensions were indirect. conclusion: with respect to the results, focusing on the coping strategies and metacognitive beliefs can play an important role in student’s test anxiety. it is suggested that intereventions based on metacognition and coping in treatment for pathological test anxiety should be concerened.