Sports Competition Anxiety Test

By analysing an athlete's responses to a series of statements about how sthey feel in a competitive situation, it is possible to determine their level of anxiety. A test that provides such functionality is the Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) (Martens et al. 1990)^[1]

Required Resources

To conduct this test, you will require:

Questionnaire (see below)
Assistant

How to conduct the test

The assistant explains the test protocol to the athlete:

Read each statement below, decide if you "Rarely", "Sometimes", or "Often" feel this way when competing in your sport, and tick the appropriate box to indicate your response.

The athlete responds to the 15 questions on the questionnaire below - no time limit
The assistant determines and records the athlete's SCAT score

Questionnaire

It affects me	Question
	Competing against others is socially enjoyable
	Before I compete, I feel uneasy
	Before I compete, I worry about not performing well
	I am a good sportsman when I compete
	When I compete, I worry about making mistakes
	Before I compete, I am calm
	Setting a goal is important when competing
	Before I compete, I get a queasy feeling in my stomach
	Just before competing, I notice my heart beats faster than usual
	I like to compete in games that demand a lot of physical energy
	Before I compete, I feel relaxed
	Before I compete, I am nervous
	Team sports are more exciting than individual sports
	I get nervous wanting to start the game
	Before I compete, I usually get uptight

Assessment

Select the "Analyse" button to obtain a SCAT score.

	Your SCAT score is:

The test can be repeated by selecting the "Reset" button.

Analysis

Analysis of the result is by comparing it with previous tests' results. It is expected that the analysis would indicate an improvement with appropriate training between each test.

Target Group

This test is suitable for anyone but not for individuals where the test would be contraindicated.

Reliability

Test reliability refers to how a test is consistent and stable in measuring its intended measure. Reliability will depend upon how strict the test is conducted and the individual's level of motivation to perform the test. The following link provides various factors influencing the results and test reliability.

Validity

Test validity refers to the degree to which the test measures what it claims to measure and the extent to which inferences, conclusions, and decisions based on test scores are appropriate and meaningful. This test provides a means to monitor training on the athlete's anxiety levels.

Advantages

No equipment required
Simple to set up and conduct
More than one athlete can conduct the test at the same time
Can be conducted almost anywhere

Disadvantages

Assistant required to administer the test

References

MARTENS, R. et al. (1990) Competitive Anxiety in Sport. Leeds: Human Kinetics

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2001) Sport Competition Anxiety Test [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/scat.htm [Accessed 26/3/2025]

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