Praxis Test
What is a Praxis Test ?
Praxis test is one of the most popular teacher certification programs in
the United States. Majority of the state use standardize testing for their
licensure and certification. Praxis tests may be required before, during or
after the teacher training courses, depending on the state you are in.
The Education Testing Service administers it. ETS is the same institute
which develops, administers and scores assessments like the GRE, SAT, TOEFL
and many more.
The tests can be taken by either students of teacher candidates. Some
students may also be eligible for fee waivers, if they fall into the
category.
Each state determines its own Praxis passing scores and requirements.
What are the different kinds of Praxis tests ?
Praxis (Pre Professional Skills Test or PPST)
consists of reading, writing and mathematics. This test is now known as the
CASE (Core Academic Skills Test).
- a. Reading: In the reading tests the candidates will be analyzed on their
reading and comprehension capabilities.
- b. Math: Understanding the candidate’s math skills.
- c. Writing: Measuring the candidate’s ability to express their thoughts
through their writings in a clear manner.
These sections (reading, writing or math) can be taken together or
separately.
Praxis Subject Assessments
cover a whole range of subjects and different states have their own
combination of these tests.
Praxis Content Knowledge for Teaching Assessments (CKT):
This test measures the subject specific knowledge of the candidates,
usually based on the skills required for teaching elementary schools.
Preparing for Praxis?
As the saying goes “No short cuts to success”, while Praxis is not a hard
test to pass, you will need to adequately prepare for the test in order to
get the passing scores. Find some helpful tips below to do just that.
To pass the praxis exam you will need to do the following:
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Sign up: Sign up and get the test dates in advance. Know how much
time you have in your hand to know the efforts you will need to put
into the tests.
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Write and Learn: Try and write down all the topics, concepts or
even words that you might need help with for your test. Write on a
note book or flash cards and go through it when ever you have the
time. Writing and reading it makes the grasping easier and
efficient. If this method does not work for you use whatever method
is the best for you. Just make sure you have read and re-read your
topics before appearing for the test.
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Resources: You may look up course materials on ETS website
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ETS study companion
: Go to the ETS website and download the study companion. It’s a very informative
resource and does not cost a thing. It gives you a clear
idea of what the test will look like, topics that you need
to study for, gives you a study plan and also some
important tips.
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Online Courses:
Khan academy courses offer’s online courses for the tests.
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Offline Help:
Buy books like the Praxis core for Dummies, Praxis core
study guides. Some of the books will also carry an online
link for more tests; you can spend sometime working on
these questions. Once you are done with all questions, do
the tests a few more times to ensure that you have learned
it well enough.
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Additional Help: Check online and you will get some great help in
online videos about specific topics and subjects. There are some
really good videos on youtube, which can help you understand
specific topics.
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Study Play: Make a study guide by going through all the books,
online sites, question papers, etc. and once you have all the
materials then make a study plan. Study plan should include time
you spend on studies, how will you study and how much will you
study.
Once you are done with all the preparations, and before your final tests,
you may go online and take the ETS Practice tests. This does cost some
money (about $20). Investing the amount of money might seem a lot, but the
test costs are much more and this will help you get more confident of the
test. So something to think about before your final test!
Day of the test
If you are prepared and confident about it you need not stress about the
day and are hopefully looking forward to the test. Make sure you had a good
nights sleep, have a hearty breakfast/ lunch depending on your time of test
and be confident!!!
Of course additional planning never hurts, make sure that you are planned
ahead of time for the day of the test.
Some ways that you do that is as below:
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Admission Ticket and Location
: Most test centers do not ask for the hard copy of the tickets,
but it's always advisable to carry a copy of the tickets with you
at all time . The tickets will have the address of the location
along with the time. Also make sure that you have checked the
location a day before the test and you have the right test center.
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Documents
: This is a crucial part. On arrival you will be asked for a photo
id for your name, signature and photograph. Ensure that you have
all ID’s with the correct name with you. If you have a different
name on your registration form vs. the ID, the test center staff
may not allow you to take the tests. Check to also see the dates on
your ID’s, the Id’s should not be expired. If you have any Name
changes or expired ids you should also have supporting documents -
like ID of the name change document or previous ID with the
different name. Also remember to have the IDs which have your
photos , they should not be faded or expired.
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Arrival and Departure Time
: Double check your arrival times and ensure you have reached
at-least 30 minutes before as finding a parking, locating the exact
center check-in might take time. Also plan for additional time
after the test is complete.
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Your Belongings
: Not all test centers will have a locker facility. Ensure that you
check the center specification to know if you can carry your items
and plan accordingly. Make sure you have no cellphones, food or
scratch paper with you at the time of entering the test center.
Cost of Test
The praxis test registration is free. The tests however come with some
fees. In order to know more about the fees click on
https://www.ets.org/praxis/about/fees
Requirements
States, Territories an National Agencies / Organizations which
currently allow Praxis
Below are the list of the states which use the Praxis test. If your state
is no on the list you may need to look for the state specific tests before
preparing and planning for your licensure and certification.
STATES:
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Alabama
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Alaska
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Arkansas
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California
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Colorado
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Connecticut
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Delaware
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District of Columbia
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Georgia
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Hawaii
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Idaho
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Indiana
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Iowa
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Kansas
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Kentucky
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Louisiana
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Maine
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Maryland
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Minnesota
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Mississippi
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Missouri
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Montana
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Nebraska
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Nevada
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New Hampshire
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New Jersey
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New Mexico
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New York
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North Carolina
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North Dakota
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Ohio
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Oklahoma
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Oregon
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Pennsylvania
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Rhode Island
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South Carolina
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South Dakota
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Tennessee
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Texas
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Utah
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Vermont
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Virginia
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Washington
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West Virginia
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Wisconsin
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Wyoming
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Territories:
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American Samoa
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Guam
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Northern Mariana Island
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U.S. Virgin Islands
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National agencies/organizations:
To take the Praxis test go to the
https://www.ets.org/praxis/register/dates_centers/
