Perellón Mancebo, J. · UNAM Facultad de Psicología (bachelor's thesis) · 2015
Across three sub-samples, the EFT group showed large, significant reductions in anxiety versus control (Hamilton Scale: 8.565 vs 2.652, t=12.63, p<.00001 in Sample 1), but EFT did not improve actual university admission rates (65% control vs 61% EFT group admitted in Sample 1), and a diagnostic-exam-score advantage seen in Sample 1 did not replicate in Samples 2 or 3.
Picture a student facing a high-stakes entrance exam that will shape their entire academic future, paralyzed by anxiety they can't afford to pay a therapist to manage — but who could learn tapping in minutes and use it on herself, for free, right before walking into the exam room. This study is a useful reality check: it suggests tapping could genuinely calm the fear in the moment, which matters on its own, even if it doesn't guarantee a better test score or admission outcome — an honest distinction future programs should keep in mind rather than overpromising academic results.
Since anxiety relief didn't translate into better exam scores or admission rates across these three replications, a valuable next step would be measuring physiological stress reactivity, cortisol or heart rate variability taken right before the exam, to see whether tapping calms the felt experience of test anxiety even when it doesn't move the academic outcome, clarifying what this technique can and can't be expected to deliver for high-stakes testing. It would also be worth testing timing: whether tapping practiced consistently in the weeks before the exam, rather than just immediately beforehand, changes the picture.
| Design | Randomized trial |
|---|---|
| Participants | 104 people |
| Population | Students in a UNAM university entrance-exam preparation course, Mexico City (three replication sub-samples: n=46, n=32, n=26) |
| Comparison group | control group (no EFT) |
| Outcome measures | Hamilton Anxiety Scale, CAEX exam-anxiety questionnaire, Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS), diagnostic knowledge exam score |
| Journal | UNAM Facultad de Psicología (bachelor's thesis) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
| Method | EFT / tapping |
| Publication type | Dissertation |
| Verification | ✓ Confirmed against the primary source |
Perellón Mancebo, J. (2015). Energy Psychology: The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) in Managing Anxiety Before the University Entrance Selection Exam. UNAM Facultad de Psicología (bachelor's thesis).
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