71 AL-Hroub and Ycaza, 2017 J. basic appl. Res 3(2): 71-76 Cite this article as: AL-Hroub, N.M and Ycaza, S.C. (2017).Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes on Examination Anxiety in a Private University in Jordan. . Journal of basic and applied Research,3(2): 71-76 Like us on Facebook - CLICK HEREJoin us on academia - CLICK HEREVisit JBAAR on Google Scholar - CLICK HERE INTRODUCTION Anxiety is one of the most common problems that faces people in the society and even in the world. In America anxiety is the most common illness and approximately 40 million of adult with age 18 years old and above, accounting around 18% of the total population (National Institute of Mental Health) have anxiety disorders and a common cause of poor academic performance among student in every part of the globe. Individuals face anxiety on a daily basis. However, anxiety provides motivation for achievement, which is a necessary force for survival. The term anxiety is often used interchangeably with the word stress; however, they are not the same. Stress, or more properly, a stressor, is an external pressure that is brought to bear on the individual . Anxiety maybe distinguished from fear in that the former is an emotional process, whereas fear is a cognitive one. Fear involves the intellectual appraisal of a threatening stimulus; anxiety involves the emotional response to that appraisal. Anxiety is the psycho-physiological state characterized by physical, psychological and social symptoms. Anxiety is an emotional response (e.g., apprehension, tension, uneasiness) in an anticipation of danger, the source of which is largely unknown or unrecognized. It maybe regarded as pathologic when it interferes with the activities of daily living, achievement of desired goals or satisfaction, or reasonable emotional comfort. Predisposing factors that have been implicated in the etiology of anxiety disorders provide a framework for studying the dynamics of phobias, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other anxiety related disorders. Different theories of causation are presented, although it is most likely that a combination of factors contribute to the etiology of anxiety disorders (Mary C. Townsend, 2009). Anxiety experienced during examination is the psychological conditions concerned with fear and expectation. It is also an impulsive conditions that affect some students during examinations associated with irritability and severe impulsiveness and negative obsession in mind that interfere with the concentration during examination whichcan lead to negative impact on the mind during examination. Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes on Examination Anxiety in a Private University in Jordan Nisser Mohammad AL-Hroub*, Sherwin C. Ycaza Al-Ghad International Colleges for Applied Medical Sciences *Corresponding author: nisserjo@yahoo.com Abstract: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding anxiety related to examination. Research methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, which included 81 nursing students (male and female) in level five, six, seven, and eight who are studying at a private university in Jordan, the respondents were selected according to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion, a survey-questionnaire was developed and it was used as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire includes the demographic data and the students’ knowledge and attitudes on examination anxiety followed by analysis of data. Results: The results showed that among the total number of students who participated in the study, majority are female (75.3%), most of their age were between 20 – 22 years old which represented (90.1%) and also majority of respondents know the definition of anxiety which represented (70.4%). Conclusion: This study concluded that nursing students have good knowledge regarding anxiety which represented (65.7%) this study concluded that nursing students have a positive attitude with regard to anxiety on examination which represented (74%). In addition, it was found out that some students have anxiety during examination which represented (8.7%), while other have some signs of anxiety on examination that was represented (75.3%), and 16% of the other respondents have not experienced anxiety during examination. Received: 22-4-2017 Revised: 25-4-2017 Published: 28-4-2017 Keywords: Anxiety, Students, Examination