Chapter 2

Getting Ready for Test Day

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Signing up to take the test

Bullet Making the most of your time

Bullet Knowing what to expect on test day

Bullet Preparing to take the test again

You’ve known for months, if not years, that you need to take the Praxis exam to be certified to teach in your state. And just like any other major undertaking in life, you need to prepare for the test. You wouldn’t run a marathon without doing some training, would you? You shouldn’t just show up to take the Praxis either.

Before you take the Praxis, you should put a strategy in place. Ideally, you’ll give yourself a couple of months to get ready for the test. In that time, you’ll study and review concepts the test covers, take practice tests to familiarize yourself with the format and timing of the test, and brush up in areas where you’re weak so you can ace the test.

In this chapter, we offer suggestions about how to prepare for the test, whether you’re taking it for the first time or taking it again.

Registering for the Test

Tip Before you register to take the Praxis, check with the local department of education to make sure you’re taking the right test. Don’t ask ETS or your mom or anyone else who isn’t in a position to admit you to a teaching program; they may give you wrong information, which can lead to wasted time and money.

You can find out how to register to take the Praxis Core by going to www.ets.org. The Praxis Core is offered during testing windows at more than 300 Prometric testing sites across the country. Contact your local testing site for specific questions regarding its testing windows. Test-takers must register at least three days prior to their intended test date, and you must pay the testing fee online. At the time of this writing, individual tests (reading, writing, or mathematics) cost $90; the price to take all three tests at once (on the same day) is discounted to $150.

After you register, read all the admission ticket info to make sure all the content is correct. Contact ETS if you have any disabilities that require accommodations.

Tip Consider taking one test per day instead of multiple tests per day. You know your limits and abilities. Some people take all three tests on the same day, and they bomb all three. If you aren’t super confident that you can pass multiple tests in one sitting, you may want to schedule them for different days. This approach will also help you map out your study plan more strategically (see the next section). You can study for one test at a time instead of all three.

A test session includes time for taking a test or tests, and it also includes time for tutorials and collection of background information. If you take one test on a given day, the session will last two hours. If you take all of the tests in one day, the session will take five hours.

Using Your Time Wisely

When preparing for the Praxis, you need to think of time in two different ways. First, you need to plan your study time. Expect to spend many hours over the next several weeks reviewing the material that could be on the test. Then you need to know how much time is allotted for the test itself. Knowing these details will help you pace yourself as you answer questions during the test when it really counts. We cover both aspects of using your time wisely in the following sections.

Budgeting your study time leading up to test day

When you budget your study time ahead of your test date, you increase your chances of passing the first time. Do you really want to face the Praxis more than once to enroll in a teacher education program? We didn’t think so.

Tip If you can’t put in adequate study time before taking the test, seriously consider rescheduling. The Praxis Core is given several times each year at the local testing center. Rather than taking the test with no preparation, contact the testing center or go online to reschedule to take the test at a later date.

Creating a schedule and penciling in the practice tests

The best way to prepare to take the Praxis is to set up a study schedule and then stick to it. Block off an amount of time each day to prepare for the test and note what topics you plan to study or review. You may need to ask your sister to baby-sit the kids, or you may need to turn down drinks with friends for a few weeks, but it will be worth it. This test will affect your life for a short amount of time. After you receive a passing score, you can commit to the bowling league. Use all of your extra time to focus on the Praxis.

Tip Create an adjustable timetable that you can revise to best meet your needs as test time gets closer. The latest that you should begin studying is four to six weeks before the test.

During your study sessions, familiarize yourself with the question types for each section. Not all the questions are straightforward, multiple-choice questions. Some of them ask you to choose all the right answers. Other questions require you to calculate an answer and write it in a box. Knowing the variations in question types gives you a better chance of answering them correctly. As you get familiar with the question types, also pay attention to the test’s directions. Understanding the directions ahead of time can save you valuable time on test day and can reduce test anxiety.

This book includes the two full-length tests in Part 5 plus four additional tests online. You may want to take a test now and save the others to take in the days leading up to the exam.

Tip When you take the practice tests, take them under timed conditions in a quiet setting where you won’t be disturbed. This creates a test-like environment and gives you a better sense of how you’ll perform on the Praxis when it counts. After you take a practice test, be sure to review the answer explanations. These help you see what you did right or where you went wrong; they’re another learning opportunity beyond the review material.

Joining forces with others

Sometimes people gain more knowledge when they study with others. Others may have a different way to solve an algebra problem or a better way to get to the heart of a reading passage, and their explanations may help you learn what you need for the test. So, consider creating or joining a study group.

If you can’t find a group to study with, look for a Praxis prep course. The instructors of these courses know the ins and outs of what’s on the test, and during the class, they review material that you’re likely to encounter. Yes, you’ll have to pay for the course, but the advantage is that the instructor should know the material in depth and be able to answer your questions or explain the material in a way that suits your learning style. The Kirkland Group has been conducting Praxis workshops for several years. For more details, go to www.kirklandgroup.org.

Tip Take the test within a week after the prep class ends. This will increase your chances of remembering the information until you take the test. Don’t wait six months after completing the course before you take the test, or you may end up back in the same boat.

Employing other study techniques

Even when you’re not officially studying, try to sneak in some learning or review. Pull out your old textbooks for grammar, reading, and math, and skim through them during lunch or while you’re on the treadmill. The info in your old textbooks may jog your memory about something you learned a while back. The only way to study math is to practice on the problems in the books. You need to know certain grammar rules that may only be explained in a traditional grammar book. If you think the verb “to be” is one of Shakespeare’s famous lines, you may need the extra practice.

Gather up crossword puzzle books, Sudoku challenges, and other mind games, and work them while you’re relaxing in front of the TV. If you’re a whiz at English, work numbers games. If numbers are your thing, try your hand at crossword puzzles. Your goal is to strengthen the areas where you’re weak, and puzzles or games are a fun way to accomplish that.

Remember You are what you eat. You can’t run a marathon by eating candy bars and drinking soft drinks every day for breakfast. Some foods assist you during the learning process. They naturally increase the memory and release chemicals that are helpful to the brain. These foods include eggs, fish, whole grains, leafy greens, fruits, and — thank goodness — coffee.

Budgeting your time while taking the test

On test day, it’s all about pacing yourself. We like to look at the test from the perspective of how many questions you have to answer per minute:

  • The math and reading sections give you 85 minutes to answer 56 questions. This gives you a little over a minute and a half to answer each question.
  • The writing section gives you 40 minutes to answer 40 multiple-choice questions. That comes out to one question per minute.
  • The essay section gives you 60 minutes to write two essays.

You may look at those numbers and think, “There’s no way I can answer questions that quickly!” But fear not. Here are some tips that will help you shave seconds off the amount of time it takes you to answer many of the questions:

  • Watch the clock on the computer screen. Monitor the time on the computer screen like it’s your million-dollar countdown. Remember that you’ll have at least one minute per question, and you need to use every minute wisely.

  • Warning Don’t make time your sole focus. Don’t get so caught up on timing that you aren’t paying attention to what the questions are asking. Strike a balance between monitoring the time and concentrating on the task at hand.

  • Watch for the traps. The people who write the assessment questions always add “trap” answers into the mix. These incorrect answers look like they’re correct, but they’re not. For example, you may see an answer to a word problem that’s achieved by multiplying when you should be dividing. It’s a trap. Watch out for it.
  • Use the process of elimination. If you don’t know the answer immediately after reading the answer choices, try to eliminate as many answers as possible. Then guess at the answer. Your chances of guessing correctly increase as you eliminate more answer choices.
  • Read all possible answers. Sift through each answer choice and ensure that you aren’t overlooking a better answer. Don’t select Choice (A) before looking at the alternative answer choices.

When Test Day Has Arrived

If you’ve followed the advice up to this point, you’ll begin test day well prepared for the task at hand. By this time, you should be in shape and ready to concentrate on the test.

Print testing-center map directions to make sure you know where you’re going. Drive to the testing center the day before to find out exactly where the testing center is located. Try to make the drive at the same time that you’ll make the drive on test day; that way you’ll know what traffic may be like and can plan accordingly for backups. You should consider using an app for real-time traffic information on the day of the test.

Arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes early. Arriving late could cause you to forfeit registration. And make sure you bring a picture ID. Without your ID, you won’t be admitted to the test center, and you’ll lose your registration fee.

Warning Don’t take the test while you are fatigued. Sleep deprivation can lead to failing test scores. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before you’re scheduled to take the test.

After you arrive at the testing center, you’ll need to follow a few rules and sit through a bit of training. We cover those details in the sections that follow.

Knowing what to bring and what to leave at home

You must bring two items to the testing center:

  • Your admission ticket: You receive your printed admission ticket when you register online.
  • Picture identification: The picture ID must include your name, signature, and photo. Acceptable IDs include a valid government-issued driver’s license, a passport, a state-issued ID, a national ID, or a military ID. See www.ets.org for more details.

Warning If you don’t have these items, you won’t be allowed to take the exam.

Thousands of people take the Praxis every year. To make sure everyone has a fair chance at passing, ETS has set up guidelines for what isn’t allowed in the test center. Following is a list of items to leave at home:

  • Cell phones, smartwatches, laptops, tablets, MP3 players, or any other electronic devices: You can’t even bring these into the building, so lock them in your car or leave them at home. ETS takes the confidentiality of the test seriously.
  • Dictionaries, books, or other reading materials: Yes, that includes this book. Study Praxis Core For Dummies either in the car or at home.
  • Scratch paper: The testing center will provide scratch paper that you can use for math computations, notes, and outlines.
  • Personal items: You may be asked to empty your pockets before entering the test room. You’ll be given a place to store your belongings while you take the test, but don’t plan on leaving anything valuable in there.

Tip Be sure you wear the right clothing. Sometimes buildings are colder or warmer than expected. Dress in layers so that you can make adjustments for the temperature.

Getting familiar with computer testing

You will take the Praxis Core on a computer. This allows you to take the test any day of the week and almost on demand at the local Prometric testing center. It also allows for faster scoring of your test, meaning you’ll get your results faster than you would if the test were administered on paper. According to ETS, score reports for selected response only tests that are given continuously are available 10–11 business days after the day of the test. On the other hand, score reports for constructed response tests (like the writing test that contains the essays) given continuously are available 15–16 business days after the day of the test.

Before you take the test, ETS gives you 30 minutes of practice time during which you can figure out how the computer test works. Pay attention during this online computerized testing tutorial session. Tips like how to use the computer, answer questions, and review previous pages can be helpful. Take advantage of this time because you’re on your own once the test starts.

Tip Make sure to figure out how to mark questions. Occasionally you’ll come to an item that you aren’t sure about. If you have extra time left at the end of the test, you can go back and check your answers.

If You Are Retaking the Test

The reality is that sometimes you study for, prepare for, and focus on the Praxis Core only to receive the bad news that you didn’t achieve a passing score. Don’t panic. According to ETS, you can take the test once per calendar month, but no more than six times within a 12-month period.

If you do need to retake the test, spend some time analyzing the areas where you fell short and then create a plan to improve your score the next time. Examine your previous test scores. The numbers can tell you how close you were to passing and how much work you have to do to bring up your score.

Don’t make the same mistakes the second time around. A wise saying defines insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Don’t repeat your previous mistakes on subsequent tests. If you didn’t pass because you just don’t understand decimals or grammatical rules, spend extra time studying those areas.

Some people miss passing the test by 15 points or more. If that’s the case, don’t rush to retake the test. Enroll in a review course in order to increase your chances of passing the test on your next try. You may spend a little money on the class, but you’ll save money in the long run because you won’t have to take the test repeatedly. Sometimes individuals who work together, take the same college course, or go to the same church can form a study group. Or you can look for a personal tutor.

When test day rolls around again, try to minimize negative circumstances, and know that uncontrollable ones aren’t likely to reoccur. You may have argued with your spouse on the morning you took the first test. Maybe the baby contracted diarrhea the night before, or perhaps the chicken salad you ate didn’t agree with your stomach. These factors may have contributed to your failure to pass the test. Take it again and the conditions will probably be better.