Abstract

This study examined the mediating role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement among university students—a topic of growing importance in higher education, where academic pressure and competition are increasingly prevalent. The research was grounded in Emotion Regulation Theory and the Emotional Intelligence Model, emphasizing the role of emotional awareness, understanding, and management in academic adaptation and performance. The data were collected using a cross-sectional quantitative design from 467 students aged 18–25 at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City. The study employed the Test Anxiety Scale, the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Academic Achievement Questionnaire. The results revealed that emotional intelligence was negatively correlated with test anxiety (r = -0.189, p < .001) and positively correlated with academic achievement (r = 0.533, p < .001). The mediation analysis indicated that the test anxiety affected academic achievement indirectly through emotional intelligence, accounting for 36.4% of the total effect. While this study benefits from a large sample size and validated tools adhering to the forward-backward translation process, its cross-sectional nature and self-reported data limit the findings to associations, which are insufficient to establish causality. Future research should adopt longitudinal and mixed method designs with more diverse samples to enhance reliability and to develop intervention programs aimed at strengthening emotional intelligence to reduce test anxiety and improve students’ academic performance.