<b>Component-level effects of test anxiety and teachers’ assessment skills on students’ academic performance in chemistry in North-West Nigeria: A path analysis</b><b></b>

Examinations are central to educational measurement and evaluation, serving as standardized tools for assessing students’ academic performance and informing instructional decisions. Research on test anxiety often treats it as a unidimensional construct, potentially obscuring the unique effects of its cognitive, emotional, and physiological components. Similarly, teachers’ assessment skills are multifaceted. This study investigated the distinct pathways through which the components of test anxiety and teachers’ assessment skills directly influence Chemistry performance. Using a component-level path analytic model, data from 1,527 SS II students and 291 Chemistry teachers in North-West Nigeria were analyzed. The model demonstrated excellent fit (χ² = 128.31, df = 7, p < .001; CFI = 1.000; RMSEA = .000). All three anxiety components exerted significant negative direct effects: cognitive (β = -.15), emotional (β = -.13), and physiological (β = -.24). All five assessment skill components showed significant positive direct effects, with assessment tools (β = .25) and feedback (β = .20) being strongest. The model explained 36.6% of the variance in Chemistry performance. Findings reveal that physiological anxiety is the most debilitating component, while practical assessment tools and actionable feedback are the most potent instructional skills. The study advocates for targeted interventions that address specific anxiety manifestations and prioritize the development of concrete assessment competencies in teachers.