Although the Praxis test is just one of the many hurdles that you will have to overcome before you can be a fully qualified educator in the U.S., it is seen as a good way to measure if your cognitive skills are sufficient to take on the duties and responsibilities of a teacher.
Of course, the results of the exam isn’t an indication of your ability to teach, but failing even one of the Praxis test types can prove detrimental to your career.
Why is this so? Well, this is because you will only be allowed to retake the exam once every 21 days after your initial test date.
This means that if you managed to secure a job interview scheduled five days after your first Praxis exam but you weren’t able to pass it, what are you going to say to your prospective employer? To delay the hiring process by 17 days?
Even if you met all of their expectations and impressed them with your teaching ability, this will be a wasted errand if you don’t have your license.
Of course, there will be a number of educational institutions out there that will be willing to give you a chance, but considering the fact that there may be other applicants with the same or better qualifications than you, and with them also probably having their license on hand, this means that you cannot afford to wait for a retake.
So, let’s take a look at the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests and what type of subjects or topics you can expect to see in them.
The Praxis Reading Test
Colloquially known to test takers as the reading comprehension section of the Praxis assessment, you will need to answer a 46-item multiple-choice format exam within 75 minutes.
You will be provided with numerous passages ranging from 100 to 200 words, each containing its own topic or subject matter. Fortunately, you do not need to be familiar with them at all because you only need to figure out the main idea, structure, or integration of ideas of each passage.
It should be noted that those are just the main subjects and there are other subtopics such as needing to figure out if the inference is correct, what is the tone and purpose of the passage, if the provided statement is fact or opinion, what the meaning of certain words are, and if the argument against or for the passage is sound.
The Praxis Math Test
For some, this is their favorite part of the Praxis test, for most, well, it’s a hit and miss.
While following a multiple-choice format like the reading test and having the same number of questions and time limit, the subjects included in this exam will focus on assessing your ability to solve problems revolving around basic arithmetic, algebra, measurement conversion from metric and imperial systems, probability, statistics, data interpretation, and even geometry.
Some questions will require you to do multiple operations, so it will be in your best interest to try to study as much as you can so that you can pass if not ace this test.
Remember, this may be the most difficult portion of the Praxis test for a lot of aspiring educators but this shouldn’t make you afraid to try to overcome it. After all, it is also very likely that you will have to teach these subjects to your students so you need to show a good grasp on it.
The Praxis Writing Tests
You read that correctly, in the Praxis test, there are two writing exams that you will need to take.
The first one is a multiple-choice test meant to test how good your understanding of the English standard is. As a result, expect to encounter topics revolving around structure, grammar, word choice, and even sentence corrections.
The second one involves you needing to write two essays, one being argumentative and the other being source-based.
Fortunately, this part of the Praxis assessment is easy enough because the essays are tailored and formulated to make sure that those who are not familiar with the subject or topic will be able to understand and form an educated opinion or argument on them.
Instead of giving a score on correctness, the proctors will evaluate your essay based on quality such as if your argument is developed enough, if it is direct to the point, if it has a good synthesis, if it is free of grammatical mistakes, if significant examples or supporting ideas are present, and if it is written in an organized and coherent manner.
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