What is the Praxis Test?
The Praxis tests are required by many states across the country for those people seeking a their teaching licenses. These tests are needed as part of the certification process. The Praxis tests are meant to measure the academic skills and subject-specific content knowledge of teacher candidates. Teacher candidates are required to complete post-secondary programs and then attain certain scores on the Praxis tests to finalize their teaching licenses. The Core Academic Skills Educator test is required for all teacher candidates. This assessment measures the person’s reading, writing, and math skills. Then, teachers are required to take either the subject specific test or the content knowledge test. Each test is dependent upon what type of certification the person is pursuing.
Specific Content Area Assessments
In addition to the Core Academic Skills for Educators test, soon-to-be educators will also have to take a second Praxis test. This will depend on the grade-level and content area certifications you are seeking. If you are working on your elementary-level certification, you will have to take the Praxis Content Knowledge for Teaching Assessments (CKT). This exam focuses on content specific knowledge needed for teaching elementary students.
The Content Knowledge for Teaching Assessments are broken down into five categories: Reading and Language Arts; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies. Each of these tests have between 45-60 questions. These questions align with content specific standards and they assess whether or not the teacher candidates have the required knowledge to deliver the content to their elementary aged students.
There are also Praxis Subject Assessments. These tests are generally for teachers seeking their secondary teaching licenses. These teachers will be teaching specific subjects to their students like: sciences like biology, foreign languages, agriculture, math like algebra or calculus. There are over 90 subject area assessments available for teachers to become certified. It is extremely important that teacher candidates research what tests are required in their states so that their licenses are not delayed due to taking the wrong Praxis assessment test.
Praxis tests are all computer-based (except if you are taking the Braille format). These tests are given at various testing centers throughout the country. You are required to register for them on your own. If English is not your first language, you may qualify for extra-time to complete your tests.
Praxis Test Prep
The ETS Praxis website offers many test prep materials to prepare for the Praxis tests. You can find study plans, practice test questions, and free study guides. A teacher candidate needs to be familiar with the test itself so that they use their time wisely. By reviewing these test prep materials, it will give the test taker an idea of how long the test takes and the type of questions that are going to be asked.
The content area assessments and subject specific assessments test the knowledge of that area. Be sure to review materials learned throughout your coursework and then identify any areas that you need additional practice. Take the time to study these sections so that you are not surprised by any of the questions on the day of test.
Time management is also a key part of doing well on these tests. Computer-based tests, oftentimes, have the time displayed on the screen. Do not let the time counting down stress you out. If it does, you will not be able to concentrate on the questions and will actually end up wasting time. By taking the practice tests and timing yourself, you will get used to completing these tests within the time limits. The more you practice doing this, the more calm you will feel during the exams. If you do not practice limiting your time, you may find yourself not having enough time to complete the exam and missing questions that you could have gotten correct.
These tests are graded on the number of correct answers that you get. Therefore, you do not want to leave any question unanswered, because if you get it wrong, it does not penalize you. Therefore, you should try to answer all of the questions.
No matter what, you want to make sure that you are prepared on the day of the Praxis tests. You have worked very hard to complete all of your coursework at your college or university. Now, you have to perform well on these tests to acquire your teaching certification. Take the time to research all of the Praxis tests you will be taking. Then, speak with other teachers who have already taken and passed the tests. Ask them for any tips and advice. Finally, practice, practice, practice. The more familiar you are with the test format, the more at ease you will be during the tests.
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