The Tapping Evidence Base
Test Anxiety & Students

Test anxiety trial of EFT vs progressive muscle relaxation (as tabulated in Clond 2016)

Sezgin, N., Ozcan, B. · 2009

Randomized trial👥 32 participants⚖️ vs. progressive muscular relaxation📈 Cohen's 1.81 (large)Moderate rigor✓ Source-checked📍 Turkey
In plain English. In this small study, 32 test-anxious students tried either a single tapping session or progressive muscle relaxation, a well-established calming technique. Tapping came out clearly ahead, though the wide confidence interval (reflecting the small sample) means the true size of the advantage is uncertain.

What they found

Cohen's = 1.81
a large effect · 95% CI 0.10–3.52 · on test anxiety
smallmoderatelarge
00.50.82.5

One EFT session (n=16) vs progressive muscular relaxation (n=16); difference d=1.81 (95% CI 0.10–3.52, p=0.038), a large and statistically significant advantage for EFT over an active relaxation technique.

How the study worked

Who took parttest-anxious students (n=32)
What they didIn a randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive tapping or a comparison condition, then measured and compared.
Compared withprogressive muscular relaxation
Measured withTAI

💡 Where this could help

Picture a student minutes before a big exam, mind blank with panic. If tapping's edge over relaxation training here holds up, it points toward a self-administered technique students could use alone in that exact moment, right outside the exam room, with no counselor present and no time needed for a longer relaxation routine.

🔬 What to study next

This large effect over an active relaxation technique is worth checking against real academic stakes: does the anxiety-score advantage translate into measurable differences in actual exam performance, not just how nervous a student reports feeling? Physiological measures — heart rate and cortisol taken right before the exam itself — plus a larger sample would help confirm whether this single-session effect is as strong and reliable as this small trial suggests.

The full record

DesignRandomized trial
Participants32 people
Populationtest-anxious students
Comparison groupprogressive muscular relaxation
Effect sizeCohen's d (EFT vs relaxation) = 1.81 (95% CI 0.10–3.52) — on test anxiety
Outcome measuresTAI
JournalOriginal publication venue not confirmed (indexed via Clond 2016 Table 1/2)
Year2009
CountryTurkey
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

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Cite this study

APA

Sezgin, N., & Ozcan, B. (2009). Test anxiety trial of EFT vs progressive muscle relaxation (as tabulated in Clond 2016).

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/tapping. Explore more studies on Test Anxiety & Students

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Test Anxiety & Students Cohen's 1.81 large effect WHAT THEY FOUND One EFT session (n=16) vs progressivemuscular relaxation (n=16); differenced=1.81 (95% CI 0.10–3.52, p=0.038), a… Randomized trial · 32 participants Sezgin · 2009 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com