Introduction:

The current evidence is that Spanish medical students present moderate-high anxiety before the biostatistics exam, causing a reduction in performance in the subject. Therefore, it is necessary to study the coping strategies of anxiety and uncertainty before the exam.

Aims:

To document the coping strategies of anxiety and uncertainty before the examination of biostatistics of undergraduate students in medicine and to evaluate their relationship with the performance in the subject of biostatistics.

Subjects and methods:

Observational, transversal and analytical study in students of the first year of Degree in Medicine at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sports of Huesca (University of Zaragoza). The Spanish version of the Coping with Pre-Exam Anxiety and Uncertainty (COPEAU) survey was used to measure the pre-examination coping strategy.

Results:

84.4% of the students (n = 38) answered. Scores on the sub-scales of the COPEAU indicated that students adopt strategies that allow them to face the pre-exam scenario more adaptively. In addition, they try to establish some social link prior to the exam. These strategies translate into obtaining better results in the exam.

Conclusions:

Medical students present coping strategies pre-examination of task-oriented biostatistics and search for social support. These strategies have a positive impact on their performance in this area.

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