Activity 5

Assessing Your State: Taking a Look at Yourself

Measuring anxiety levels is an important step in guiding participants from where they are
to where they should be for optimal performance. The purpose of this activity—which
includes the next three screens—is to familiarize you with some of the scales used to
measure anxiety. Specifically, you'll measure your anxiety in three dimensions: sport
competition anxiety, trait anxiety, and state anxiety.

Sport Competition Anxiety Test

This is the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT), a sport-specific measure of trait
anxiety developed by Martens (1977).

Adapted, by permission, from R. Martens, 1977, Sport competition anxiety test

(Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics), 93.

Instructions

1. This assessment includes 15 statements that describe how people feel when they
compete in sports and games. Read each statement and decide how often you feel
this way when you compete in sports and games, using the scale hardly ever,
sometimes, or often.
2. Check the appropriate cell indicating how you feel. There are no right or wrong
answers. Do not spend too much time on any one statement.
3. When you've completed all statements, compute your score.
Sport Competition Anxiety Test

Hardly
Statements Sometimes Often
ever
1. Competing against others is socially enjoyable.
2. Before I compete, I feel uneasy.
3. Before I compete I worry about not performing
well.
4. I am a good sport person when I compete.
5. When I compete, I worry about making mistakes.
6. Before I compete I am calm.
7. Setting a goal is important when competing.
8. Before I compete I get a queasy feeling in my
stomach.
9. Just before competing, I notice that my heart beats
faster than usual.
10. I like to compete in games that demand
considerable physical energy.
11. Before I compete I feel relaxed.
12. Before I compete I am nervous.
13. Team sports are more exciting than individual
sports.
14. I get nervous wanting to start the game.
15. Before I compete I usually get uptight.

• Items 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13 are filler items used to help disguise the purpose of the
test; these items are not scored.
• Items 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14, and 15 are scored as follows: hardly ever = 1 point;
sometimes = 2 points; often = 3 points.
• For items 6 and 11, the scoring is reversed: often = 1 point; sometimes = 2 points;
hardly ever = 3 points.
• Total the numbers for these 10 items to determine your trait anxiety score.
• Scores range from 10 to 30.

Your SCAT score =

Trait Anxiety (Sport Anxiety Scale)
This is the Multidimensional Trait Anxiety, or Sport Anxiety, Scale. It is a
multidimensional measure of trait anxiety developed by Smith, Smoll, and Schutz (1990).
Cognitive, somatic, concentration disruption, and total scores are calculated for this scale.

Adapted, by permission, from R.E. Smith, F.L. Smoll and R.W. Schutz, 1990,
"Measurement and correlates of sport-specific cognitive and somatic trait anxiety: The
Sport Anxiety Scale," Anxiety research 2: 263-280.

Instructions

1. This assessment includes 21 statements that athletes have used to describe their
thoughts and feelings before or during competition. Read each statement and
decide how you usually feel before or during competition, using the scale not at
all, somewhat, moderately so, or very much so.
2. Check the appropriate cell indicating how you feel. Some athletes believe they
should not admit to feelings of nervousness or worry, but such reactions are
actually quite common, even among professional athletes. To help us better
understand reactions to competition, we ask you to share your true reactions with
us. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any one
statement.
Sport Anxiety Scale
Moderately Very much
Statements Not at all Somewhat
so so
1. I feel nervous.
2. I find myself thinking about unrelated
thoughts.
3. I have self-doubts.
4. My body feels tense.
5. I am concerned that I may not do as
well in competition as I could.
6. My mind wanders during sport
competition.
7. While performing, I often do not pay
attention to what's going on.
8. I feel tense in my stomach.
9. Thoughts of doing poorly interfere
with my concentration during
competition.
10. I am concerned about choking under
pressure.
11. My heart races.
12. I feel my stomach sinking.
13. I'm concerned about performing
poorly.
14. I have lapses in concentration
because of nervousness.
15. I sometimes find myself trembling
before or during a competitive event.
16. I'm worried about reaching my goal.
17. My body feels tight.
18. I'm concerned that others will be
disappointed with my performances.
19. My stomach gets upset before or
during competition.
20. I'm concerned I won't be able to
concentrate.
21. My heart pounds before competition.
 • Item scoring: not at all = 1 point; somewhat = 2 points; moderately so = 3 points;
very much so = 4 points.
• The Somatic Trait Anxiety subscale includes items 1, 4, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, and
21. Its score ranges from a low of 9 to a high of 36.
• The Worry Trait Anxiety subscale includes items 3, 5, 9, 10, 13, 16, and 18. Its
score ranges from a low of 7 to a high of 28.
• The Concentration Disruption Trait Anxiety subscale includes items 2, 6, 7, 14,
and 20. Its score ranges from a low of 5 to a high of 20.
• The total trait anxiety score is the sum of the preceding three subscale scores and
ranges from a low of 21 to a high of 84.

Your somatic trait anxiety score =

Your worry trait anxiety score =

Your concentration disruption trait anxiety score =

Your total trait anxiety score =

State Anxiety Test
This is the State Anxiety Test, or the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2 (CSAI–2).
It is a sport-specific state anxiety scale developed by Martens, Vealey, and Burton
(1990). The scale divides anxiety into three components: cognitive anxiety, somatic
anxiety, and a related component—self-confidence. Self-confidence tends to be the
opposite of cognitive anxiety and is another important factor in managing stress.

Adapted, by permission, from R. Martens, R.S. Vealey, and D. Burton, 1990,

Competitive anxiety in sport (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics), 177.

Instructions

1. Complete this scale on two separate occasions: a quiet time before practice
when you are fairly relaxed, and a competitive situation that you feel is highly
stressful. If you are not currently active in competition, recall such situations as
clearly as possible and record your responses.
2. This assessment includes 27 statements that athletes use to describe their feelings
before competition. Read each statement and check the appropriate cell to indicate
how you feel right now, using the scale not at all, somewhat, moderately so, or
very much so.
3. Check the appropriate cell indicating how you feel. There are no right or wrong
answers. Do not spend too much time on any one statement.
State Anxiety Test
Moderately Very much
Statements Not at all Somewhat
so so
1. I am concerned about this competition.
2. I feel nervous.
3. I feel at ease.
4. I have self-doubts.
5. I feel jittery.
6. I feel comfortable.
7. I am concerned I may not do as well in
this competition as I could.
8. My body feels tense.
9. I feel self-confident.
10. I am concerned about losing.
11. I feel tense in my stomach.
12. I feel secure.
13. I am concerned about choking under
pressure.
14. My body feels relaxed.
15. I'm confident I can meet the
challenge.
16. I'm concerned about performing
poorly.
17. My heart is racing.
18. I'm confident about performing well.
19. I'm worried about reaching my goal.
20. I feel my stomach sinking.
21. I feel mentally relaxed.
22. I'm concerned that others will be
disappointed with my performance.
23. My hands are clammy.
24. I'm confident because I mentally
picture myself reaching my goal.
25. I'm concerned I won't be able to
concentrate.
26. My body feels tight.
27. I'm confident of coming through
under pressure.

• Item scoring for all items except 14: not at all = 1 point; somewhat = 2 points;
moderately so = 3 points; very much so = 4.
• Scoring for item 14: not at all = 4 points; somewhat = 3 points; moderately so = 2
points; very much so = 1 point.
• The Cognitive State Anxiety subscale includes items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22,
and 25.
• The Somatic State Anxiety subscale includes items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26.
• The Self-Confidence Anxiety subscale includes items 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24,
and 27.
• Your scores for each subscale will range from 9 to 36, with 9 indicating low
anxiety or confidence and 36 indicating high anxiety or confidence.

Your cognitive state anxiety score =

Your somatic state anxiety score =

Your self-confidence anxiety score =