Praxis source based essay sample

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► PRACTICE: 6 full-length practice exams for each test section

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PRAXIS® CORE

POWER PRACTICE (5712, 5722, 5732)

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 About the Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests 1 States Using the Praxis Series of Tests 2

What Is Covered on the Praxis Core Tests? 2

Reading 3

Writing 4

Mathematics 5

The Computer-Delivered Test 6

Scoring 6

Retaking the Tests 7

What to Bring to the Test 7

How Do I Register? 7

Special Arrangements 8

Nonstandard Testing Accommodations 8

Where Do I Begin? 9

CHAPTER 2 The LearningExpress Test Preparation System 11 How It Works 12

Step 1: Get Information 12

Step 2: Conquer Test Anxiety 13

Step 3: Make a Plan 15

Step 4: Learn to Manage Your Time 15

Step 5: Learn to Use the Process of Elimination 16

Step 6: Know When to Guess 16

Step 7: Reach Your Peak Performance Zone 20

Step 8: Get Your Act Together 21

Step 9: Do It! 21

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– –CONTENTS

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CHAPTER 3 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Practice Test 1 23 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 1 24

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 1

Answers and Explanations 40

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 1 50

Part IIa: Argumentative Essay 58

Part IIb: Source-Based Essay 67

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 1

Answers and Explanations 78

Sample Responses for the Argumentative Essay 81

Sample Responses for the Source-Based Essay 84

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 1 88

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 1

Answers and Explanations 99

CHAPTER 4 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Practice Test 2 113 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 2 114

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 2

Answers and Explanations 129

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 2 140

Part IIa: Argumentative Essay 149

Part IIb: Source-Based Essay 157

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 2

Answers and Explanations 167

Sample Responses for the Argumentative Essay 170

Sample Responses for the Source-Based Essay 173

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 2 177

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 2

Answers and Explanations 186

CHAPTER 5 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Practice Test 3 193 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 3 194

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 3

Answers and Explanations 209

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 3 220

Part IIa: Argumentative Essay 227

Part IIb: Source-Based Essay 236

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 3

Answers and Explanations 247

Sample Responses for the Argumentative Essay 253

Sample Responses for the Source-Based Essay 258

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 3 262

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 3

Answers and Explanations 275

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– –CONTENTS

CHAPTER 6 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Practice Test 4 287 Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 4 288

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading Practice Test 4

Answers and Explanations 303

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 4 311

Part IIa: Argumentative Essay 320

Part IIb: Source-Based Essay 327

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing Practice Test 4

Answers and Explanations 336

Sample Responses for the Argumentative Essay 341

Sample Responses for the Source-Based Essay 346

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 4 350

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics Practice Test 4

Answers and Explanations 362

A NOTE ON SCORING 375

ADDITIONAL ONLINE PRACTICE 377

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ABOUT THE

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1 PRAXIS® CORE ACADEMIC SKILLS FOR EDUCATORS TESTS CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter familiarizes you with the series of Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators tests, which are administered by the Educational Testing Service. You will learn the components of all three Core exams, how to register for the exams, how they are scored, and all about the computer-based testing format.

Welcome to your comprehensive review for the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests! This series of computer-based mathematics, reading, and writing exams tests your knowledge in these core subjects, and assesses your readiness to enter teacher education programs. As the name suggests, the content tested on these exams aligns with the Common Core State Standards.

This book offers complete review, practice, and preparation for the three Core exams:

Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading (5712)

Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing (5722)

Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics (5732)

Inside you will fnd four practice exams to assess your skill levels, to test what you have learned, and to deter-

mine where you need more practice. At the end of the book, you will also fnd a link to an instantly scored

online practice exam.

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– –ABOUT THE PRAXIS® CORE ACADEMIC SKILLS FOR EDUCATORS TESTS

passing. Information regarding specifc state or orga-

nization requirements may change from time to time.

For accurate, up-to-date information, refer to the

offcial Praxis website at www.ets.org/praxis/about/

core/ and your state’s education department.

States Using the Praxis Series of Tests

Each state sets its own requirement for which tests

you must take and what score will be accepted as

this book. Use it faithfully, and remind yourself thatIMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

ETS—The Praxis Series Website: www.ets.org/praxis Phone: 609-771-7395, M–F 8 A.M. to 7:45 P.M. (EST) (except for U.S. holidays) Phone for the Hearing Impaired: 609-771-7714 E-mail directly through the website at www.ets.org/praxis/contact

Before you begin your review, let’s take a closer look at the Praxis Core exams.

What Is Covered on the Praxis Core Tests?

The Praxis Core tests are designed to see whether you have the academic skills to be an effective teacher. Each

tests your basic skills in either Reading, Mathematics, or Writing.

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www.ets.org/praxis
http://www.ets.org/praxis/about/core/
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Praxis Core at a Glance

TEST CODE

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS CORE TEST QUESTION TYPES TIME ALLOWED

Reading 5712 56 Multiple-choice 85 minutes

Writing 5722 40 + 2 • 40 multiple-choice + two essays 40 minutes for multiple- choice questions; 30 minutes for each essay

• Multiple-choice: some ask you to select one answer choice; some ask you to select one or more.

• Numeric entry: no choices; type in your own answer.

Mathematics 5732 56 85 minutes

As you can see, most of the questions on the

Praxis Core tests, with the exception of the essay por-

tion of the Writing test, are in multiple-choice for-

mat. The Mathematics test also features numeric

entry questions, where you supply an answer without

being given any choices. Each multiple-choice ques-

tion has fve answer choices and is worth one point.

Because test scoring is based only on the number of

items answered correctly, you are not penalized for

incorrect answers on the Praxis Core tests—so be

sure to fll in all the answer blanks rather than leaving

diffcult questions unanswered. Even a guess is better

than leaving an answer blank!

Let’s look at each test.

Reading

The Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Read-

ing test measures your ability to comprehend, ana-

lyze, and evaluate written information. The skills tested

on the exam align with the Common Core State Stan-

dards for Reading, and emphasize the skills needed to

thrive in a teacher preparation program.

You will be asked to read a number of passages

(which may vary in length from a few sentences to

100 to 200 words) and then answer questions accom-

panying each that test your ability to comprehend

what you have read. The genre and reading levels of

the passages will vary. You will be tested only on your

ability to understand and analyze the selection; you

will not be required to have specifc knowledge about

the topics discussed in the passages.

You will have 85 minutes to read all the passages

and answer the 56 multiple-choice questions on this

exam. Here is a breakdown of the question types on

the Praxis Core Reading test.

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QUESTION TYPE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS PERCENTAGE OF TEST

Key Ideas and Details 17–22 35%

Craft, Structure, and Language Skills 14–19 30%

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 17–22 35%

Writing

The Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writ-

ing test is divided into two sections:

1. The frst section consists of multiple-choice

questions that require you to fnd and/or cor-

rect errors in standard English.

2. The second part asks you to write two 30-

minute essays: an argumentative essay and a

source-based essay.

The skills tested align with the Common Core State

Standards for Writing. The multiple-choice section of

the writing test is designed to measure your ability to

use standard English correctly and effectively, and is

divided into four parts: usage, sentence correction,

revision in context, and research skills.

Usage questions test your knowledge of:

n structural and grammatical relationships

mechanics

idiom or word choice n

Usage questions also test your ability to identify

error-free sentences.

Sentence Correction questions test your ability

to:

select the best way to state a given phrase or

sentence

correct sentences with errors in grammar,

mechanics, idioms, or word choice

Revision-in-Context questions test your skills

in editing a passage to strengthen its word choice,

fow, style, and organization.

Research Skills questions ask you to assess the

credibility of sources, identify parts of a citation, and

recognize parts of a passage that have been pulled

from various sources.

The Essays The essay portion of the Praxis Core Writing test is

designed to evaluate your ability to express ideas

clearly and effectively in standard written English

under time constraints. You will be asked to write two

different types of essays: an Argumentative essay and

an Informative/Explanatory essay.

The Argumentative essay will ask you to draw

from personal experiences and observation to sup-

port a position. To perform well on this essay, you

will need to back up your point of view with exam-

ples—either from something you have read or seen,

from your real life, or from a combination of both.

The Informative/Explanatory essay will begin

with two passages, which you should read before you

begin. You will then be asked to take information

from these two sources to answer a question pre-

sented by the prompt given.

The given topics present situations that are gen-

erally familiar to all educated people and do not

require any specialized knowledge in a particular

feld. Although you will be posing an argument and

drawing conclusions based on examples from per-

sonal experience or observation, you will not be

graded on your opinion—you will be scored only on

how effectively you are able to get across your ideas.

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You will have 40 minutes to answer the 40 mul-

tiple-choice questions on this exam, and 30 minutes

for each essay.

Mathematics

The Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Math-

ematics test measures your profciency in math. Gen-

erally speaking, the test requires a competency at the

high school or frst-year college level. All the skills

tested on the exam align with the Common Core

State Standards for Mathematics. Here are the four

main math content areas that will be tested:

Numbers and Operations order

equivalence

numeration and place value

number properties

operation properties

computation

estimation

ratio, proportion, and percent

numerical reasoning

Algebra and Functions equations and inequalities

algorithmic thinking

patterns

algebraic representations

algebraic reasoning

Geometry and Measurement geometric properties

the xy-coordinate plane

geometric reasoning

systems of measurement

Statistics and Probability data interpretation

data representation

trends and inferences

measures of center and spread

probability

You will have 85 minutes to answer the 56

multiple-choice (one-answer and multiple-answer)

and numeric entry questions on this exam. Here is a

breakdown of the question types on the Praxis Core

Mathematics test.

QUESTION TYPE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS PERCENTAGE OF TEST

Numbers and Operations 17 30%

Algebra and Functions 17 30%

Geometry and Measurement 11 20%

Statistics and Probability 11 20%

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CALCULATORS ON THE PRAXIS® CORE Please note: You will have access to an on-screen calculator for the duration of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics test. Note that no other calculator use is allowed—you will not be able to bring a calculator from home. The calculator provided is simple and has four functions (+, –, ×, ÷).

The Computer-Delivered Test

Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests are

administered as computer-delivered tests in more

than 300 locations throughout the United States.

They are given frequently. You don’t have to know

much about computers to take these computer-based

tests—each one begins with a tutorial on the use of

the computer. You are encouraged to spend as much

time as needed on the tutorial.

With the exception of the essay portion of the

writing test and numeric entry mathematics ques-

tions, all questions are in multiple-choice format. The

questions are presented on the computer screen, and

you choose your answers by clicking in the oval next

to the correct choice or choices (for multiple-answer

math questions). For numeric entry questions, you

will be asked to type your answer into the box or

boxes provided.

The tests now have a special mark function,

which allows you to mark a question that you would

like to temporarily skip and come back to at a later

time during the same section on the test. Test takers

will have a review screen to see whether a question

has been answered, not seen yet, or marked.

For the two essay questions, you will type your

essay directly onto the screen in the space provided. If

you are not comfortable with your typing skills, prac-

tice them in addition to making your way through

this book. The 30 minutes provided for each essay

cover your brainstorming, prep work, and typing in

the essay.

These computer-based tests are designed to

ensure fairness, because each test taker receives

the same distribution of content.

the same amount of testing time.

the same test directions.

the same tutorials on computer use.

Scoring

Your offcial score report will be available online about

two to three weeks after your test date. Your score

report will also be sent to the recipients (for example,

schools) you designated on your registration form.

The report shows a separate test score for each

Praxis subject that you take. Reading and math test

scores are based on the number of items answered

correctly. There is no penalty for answering a ques-

tion incorrectly. The writing test score is based on the

number of multiple-choice questions answered cor-

rectly combined with the essay score, which is scored

on a scale of 1 to 6.

Your score report will show your score, whether

you passed, the raw points earned in each content

category, and the range of possible scores. If you took

any test previously within the past ten years, it will

also show your highest scores on each test.

Can I Cancel My Scores? These computer-based tests give you the option to

cancel your scores at the end of your test session

before viewing the scores (once you have viewed your

computerized scores, you cannot cancel them). All

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score cancellations are permanent, and refunds are

not given.

Passing Scores Each state or institution determines its own passing

score. The frst thing you will want to do with your

scores is to compare them to the passing scores set by

your state. Along with your test scores, you will

receive the Understanding Your Praxis Scores booklet

that gives the passing scores for each state. The Praxis

Series website (www.ets.org/praxis/states) also has a

complete state-by-state listing of required tests and

passing scores.

Retaking the Tests

If you don’t pass one or more Praxis Core tests, you

will be allowed to take them again. How many times

or how often you may retake each test is determined

by the policies of individual states or institutions. The

ETS does mandate that you may take each of these

tests only once per 30-day period and no more than

six times in one year. Individual states may have fur-

ther restrictions. Consult your scores from previous

tests to see which areas require more study, so that

you will pass the tests the next time you take them.

REMINDER Again, you may take the test only once a month, and no more than six times over the course of a year. This even applies to situa- tions where you may have canceled your scores. If you violate this rule, your retest scores will not be reported, and your fees will not be refunded.

What to Bring to the Test

You will need your photo identifcation and your

admission ticket. You may not bring calculators, cell

phones, smartphones or any other electronic devices,

pencils or pens, books, bags, scratch paper, or other

people into the test room with you. The test adminis-

trator will designate an area where you may keep your

personal belongings during the test.

On test day, allow plenty of time in the morning

to get to your test location, especially if you are unfa-

miliar with the area where the test is given. You

should arrive at least 30 minutes before your test to

sign in, present your identifcation, and get yourself

settled.

How Do I Register?

Usually you will need to register at least four weeks

prior to the test date.

To register by mail, you must download and

complete the appropriate Praxis Registration Form.

Find all updated fees for your Praxis Core exams at

www.ets.org/praxis/about/fees.

At least one week before your test date, you will

receive a testing admission ticket by mail, which you

will need to bring for entrance into the test. If you do

not receive your ticket at least one week prior to your

test day or if you lose it, or if there is an error on your

ticket, contact ETS immediately.

You can also register online at www.ets.org/

praxis. To register online, you will need a valid e-mail

address, mailing address, and phone number. Order

confrmations and test admission tickets will be

e-mailed to your e-mail address—you will not be sent

a paper admission ticket by postal mail when you reg-

ister online. Print out the ticket provided for you

www.ets.org
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www.ets.org/praxis/states
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online. Online registration is available only to those

not needing special accommodations such as consid-

erations for disabilities or Monday testing.

If you have previously created a Praxis account

online, you can register by phone with a credit card.

There will be a nonrefundable $35 surcharge for the

transaction, in addition to the standard registration

and test fees. To register by phone, call 800-772-9476,

8 A.M. to 7:45 P.M. (EST), Monday through Friday.

Emergency Registration Those trying to register for a desired test date after

the regular and late registration deadlines may still be

able to take the test on that date by using the emer-

gency registration service for an additional fee. This

service guarantees a seat at a test center. Emergency

registration is not available for individuals needing

special accommodations.

To Cancel or Reschedule Your Test If you are absent the day of the test or arrive too

late to take the test, you are not eligible for a refund.

You may cancel or reschedule a test by logging into

your Praxis account online or calling ETS at

1-800-772-9476.

You are eligible to receive a refund of 50% of

your test fees if the change is received by ETS at

least three days prior to the test date. Special service

fees are nonrefundable. Registration deadlines are

updated and posted on the website. Refunds are

mailed approximately four to six weeks after receipt

of your request. If you used a credit card to make a

payment, the refund will be credited to your credit

card account.

Special Arrangements

Special arrangements may be available for individuals

with documented disabilities or for test takers whose

primary language is not English (PLNE). Monday test

dates are available to those who cannot take the test

on a Saturday test date due to religious convictions or

military orders. These accommodations may vary

from state to state. You should contact the ETS long

before the test date to make inquiries.

Nonstandard Testing Accommodations

If you have a documented disability, you may be able

to receive nonstandard testing accommodations for

the tests. Among a list of accommodations, you may

qualify for

extended test time.

a test reader.

a separate location.

a Braille test.

someone to record your answers.

Online, you will fnd the Bulletin Supplement for Test

Takers with Disabilities or Health-Related Needs,

which contains contact information, registration pro-

cedures, and special registration forms.

If you are requesting accommodations, you

must register by mail. At least six weeks before the

registration date, send your completed requests for

testing accommodations to:

ETS Disability Services

P.O. Box 6054

Princeton, NJ 08541-6054

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Where Do I Begin?

You have already taken the frst step by reading this

chapter and familiarizing yourself with the Praxis

Series of tests. Perhaps you have even started research-

ing to see which tests you need to take, when the tests

are offered, and where you would like to take them.

Now you should begin your study program: Start

with “The LearningExpress Test Preparation System”

(Chapter 2). This exclusive system gives you valuable

test-taking techniques and will help you devise a

study schedule that works best for you. If you stick

with your study plan and concentrate on improving

the areas in which you need help, you are sure to suc-

ceed. Good luck!

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2 THE LEARNING- EXPRESS TEST PREPARATION SYSTEM

CHAPTER SUMMARY The Praxis Series of tests can be challenging. A great deal of preparation is necessary for achieving top scores and advanc- ing your career. The LearningExpress Test Preparation System, developed by leading experts exclusively for LearningExpress, offers strategies for developing the discipline and attitude required for success.

Fact: Taking the Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators tests is not easy, and neither is getting ready for them. Your future career as a teacher depends on getting a passing score, but an assortment of pitfallscan keep you from doing your best. Here are some of the obstacles that can stand in the way of success: being unfamiliar with the exam format

being paralyzed by test anxiety

leaving your preparation to the last minute

not preparing at all!

not knowing vital test-taking skills: how to pace yourself through the exams, how to use the process of

elimination, and when to guess

not being in tip-top mental and physical shape

messing up on test day by arriving late at the test site, having to work on an empty stomach, or feeling

uncomfortable during the exams because the room is too hot or cold

What’s the common denominator in all these test-taking pitfalls? One word: control. Who’s in control, you or

the exam?

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Here’s some good news: The LearningExpress

Test Preparation System puts you in control. In nine

easy-to-follow steps, you will learn everything you

need to know to make sure that you are in charge of

your preparation and your performance on the

exams. Other test takers may let the tests get the bet-

ter of them; other test takers may be unprepared or

out of shape, but not you. You will have taken all the

steps you need to take to get a high score on the Praxis

Core Academic Skills for Educators tests.

How It Works

Nine easy steps lead you through everything you need

to know and do to get ready to master your exams.

Each of the following steps includes both reading

about the step and one or more activities. It’s impor-

tant that you do the activities along with the reading,

or you won’t be getting the full beneft of the system.

Step 1: Get Information 50 minutes

Step 2: Conquer Test Anxiety 20 minutes

Step 3: Make a Plan 30 minutes

Step 4: Learn to Manage Your Time 10 minutes

Step 5: Learn to Use the Process of

Elimination 20 minutes

Step 6: Know When to Guess 20 minutes

Step 7: Reach Your Peak Perfor-

mance Zone 10 minutes

Step 8: Get Your Act Together 10 minutes

Step 9: Do It! 10 minutes

Total 3 hours

We estimate that working through the entire

system will take you approximately three hours,

although it’s perfectly okay if you work faster or

slower. If you set aside an afternoon or evening, you

can work through the whole LearningExpress Test

Preparation System in one sitting. Otherwise, you can

break it up, and do just one or two steps a day for the

next several days. It’s up to you—remember, you are

in control.

Step 1: Get Information

Time to complete: 50 minutes

Activity: Read Chapter 1, “About the Praxis® Core

Academic Skills for Educators Tests.”

Knowledge is power. The frst step in the Learning-

Express Test Preparation System is fnding out every-

thing you can about the Praxis Core tests. Once you

have your information, the next steps in the Learning-

Express Test Preparation System will show you what

to do about it.

Part A: Straight Talk about the Praxis Core Tests Why do you have to take rigorous exams, anyway? It’s

simply an attempt to be sure you have the knowledge

and skills necessary to be a teacher.

It’s important for you to remember that your

scores on the Praxis tests do not determine how smart

you are, or even whether you will make a good

teacher. There are all kinds of things exams like these

can’t test, such as whether you have the drive, deter-

mination, and dedication to be a teacher. Those kinds

of traits are hard to evaluate, whereas a test is easy to

evaluate.

This is not to say that the exams are not impor-

tant! The knowledge tested on the exams is knowl-

edge you will need to do your job. And your ability to

enter the profession you’ve trained for depends on

passing. And that’s why you are here—using the

LearningExpress Test Preparation System to achieve

control over the exams.

Part B: What’s on the Tests If you haven’t already done so, stop here and read

Chapter 1, which gives you an overview of the Praxis

Core series of tests. Then, go online and read the

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most up-to-date information about your exam

directly from the test developers at www.ets.org/

praxis.

Step 2: Conquer Test Anxiety

Time to complete: 20 minutes

Activity: Take the “Test Anxiety Test.”

Having complete information about the exams is the

frst step in getting control over them. Next, you have

to overcome one of the biggest obstacles to test suc-

cess: test anxiety. Test anxiety not only impairs your

performance on the exams, but also keeps you from

preparing. In Step 2, you will learn stress manage-

ment techniques that will help you succeed. Learn

these strategies now, and practice them as you work

through the exams so that they will be second nature

to you by exam day.

Combating Test Anxiety The frst thing you need to know is that a little test

anxiety is a good thing. Everyone gets nervous before

a big exam—and if that nervousness motivates you to

prepare thoroughly, so much the better. It’s said that

Sir Laurence Olivier, one of the foremost British

actors of the twentieth century, felt ill before every

performance. His stage fright didn’t impair his per-

formance; in fact, it probably gave him a little extra

edge—just the kind of edge you need to do well,

whether on a stage or on an examination.

The Test Anxiety Test follows on page 14. Stop

and answer the questions to fnd out whether your

level of test anxiety is something you should worry

about.

Stress Management Before a Test If you feel your level of anxiety getting the best of you

in the weeks before a test, here is what you need to do

to bring the level down again:

Get prepared. There’s nothing like knowing what

to expect and being prepared for it to put you in

control of test anxiety. That’s why you are reading

this book. Use it faithfully, and remind yourself

that you are better prepared than most of the

other people taking the test.

Practice self-confdence. A positive attitude is a

great way to combat test anxiety. This is no time

to be humble or shy. Stand in front of the mirror

and say to your refection, “I am prepared. I am

full of self-confdence. I am going to ace this test.

I know I can do it.” Record it and play it back

once a day. If you hear it often enough, you will

believe it.

Fight negative messages. Every time someone

starts telling you how hard the exam is or how it’s

almost impossible to get a high score, tune the

person out or ask him or her to not speak nega-

tively around you. Don’t listen to the negative

messages. Turn on your recorder and listen to

your self-confdence messages.

Visualize. Imagine yourself reporting for duty on

your frst day as a teacher or in your teacher

training program. Visualizing success can help

make it happen—and it reminds you of why you

are doing all this work preparing for the exam.

Exercise. Physical activity helps calm your body

down and focus your mind. Besides, being in

good physical shape can actually help you do well

on the exam. Go for a run, lift weights, go swim-

ming—and do it regularly.

Stress Management on Test Day There are several ways you can bring down your level

of anxiety on test day. They will work best if you

practice them in the weeks before the test so that you

know which ones work best for you.

Practice deep breathing. Take a deep breath

while you count to fve. Hold it for a count of

one, then let it out on a count of fve. Repeat sev-

eral times.

http://www.ets.org/praxis
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TEST ANXIETY TEST

You need to worry about test anxiety only if it is extreme enough to impair your performance. The follow- ing questionnaire will provide a diagnosis of your level of test anxiety. In the blank before each statement, write the number that most accurately describes your experience.

0 = Never 1 = Once or twice 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often

I have gotten so nervous before an exam that I simply put down the books and didn’t study for it. I have experienced disabling physical symptoms such as vomiting and sever e headaches because I was nervous about an exam. I have simply not shown up for an exam because I was afraid to take it. I have experienced dizziness and disorientation while taking an exam. I have had trouble filling in the little circles because my hands were shaking too hard. I have failed an exam because I was too nervous to complete it. Total: Add up the numbers in the blanks.

Your Test Anxiety Score Here are the steps you should take, depending on your score. If you scored:

Below 3, your level of test anxiety is nothing to worry about; it’s probably just enough to give you that little extra edge.

Between 3 and 6, your test anxiety may be enough to impair your performance, and you should practice the stress management techniques in this section to try to bring your test anxiety down to manageable levels.

Above 6, your level of test anxiety is a serious concern. In addition to practicing the stress management techniques listed in this section, you may want to seek additional, personal help. Call your local high school or community college and ask for the academic counselor. Tell the counselor that you have a level of test anxiety that sometimes keeps you from being able to take an exam. The counselor may be willing to help you or may suggest someone else you should talk to.

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Move your body. Try rolling your head in a circle.

Rotate your shoulders. Shake your hands from

the wrist. Many people fnd these movements

very relaxing.

Visualize again. Think of the place where you are

most relaxed: lying on the beach in the sun, walk-

ing through the park, or wherever. Now close

your eyes and imagine you are actually there. If

you practice in advance, you will fnd that you

only need a few seconds of this exercise to experi-

ence a signifcant increase in your sense of

well-being.

When anxiety threatens to overwhelm you right

there during the exam, there are still things you can

do to manage your stress level:

Repeat your self-confdence messages. You

should have them memorized by now. Say them

quietly to yourself, and believe them!

Visualize one more time. This time, visualize

yourself moving smoothly and quickly through

the test, answering every question right and fn-

ishing just before time is up. Like most visualiza-

tion techniques, this one works best if you have

practiced it ahead of time.

Find an easy question. Find an easy question,

and answer it. Getting even one question fnished

gets you into the test-taking groove.

Take a mental break. Everyone loses concentra-

tion once in a while during a long test. It’s nor-

mal, so you shouldn’t worry about it. Instead,

accept what has happened. Say to yourself, “Hey, I

lost it there for a minute. My brain is taking a

break.” Put down your pencil, close your eyes, and

do some deep breathing for a few seconds. Then

you are ready to go back to work.

Try these techniques ahead of time, and see

whether they work for you!

Step 3: Make a Plan

Time to complete: 30 minutes

Activity: Construct a study plan.

Maybe the most important thing you can do to get

control of yourself and your exams is to make a study

plan. Too many people fail to prepare simply because

they fail to plan. Spending hours on the day before

the exam poring over sample test questions not only

raises your level of test anxiety, but also is simply no

substitute for careful preparation and practice over

time.

Don’t fall into the cram trap. Take control of

your preparation time by mapping out a study

schedule.

Even more important than making a plan is

making a commitment. You have to set aside some

time every day for study and practice. Try for at least

20 minutes a day. Twenty minutes daily will do you

much more good than two hours on Saturday.

Don’t put off your study until the day before the

exam. Start now. A few minutes a day, with half an

hour or more on weekends, can make a big difference

in your score.

Step 4: Learn to Manage Your Time

Time to complete: 10 minutes to read, many hours

of practice!

Activity: Practice these strategies as you take the

sample tests in this book.

Steps 4, 5, and 6 of the LearningExpress Test Prepara-

tion System put you in charge of your exams by

showing you test-taking strategies that work. Practice

these strategies as you take the sample tests, and then

you will be ready to use them on test day.

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First, take control of your time on the exams.

It’s a terrible feeling to know there are only fve min-

utes left when you are only three-quarters of the way

through a test. Here are some tips to keep that from

happening to you:

Follow directions. You should take your time

making your way through the computer tutorial

before the exam. Read the directions carefully and

ask questions before the exam begins if there’s

anything you don’t understand.

Pace yourself. If there is a timer on the screen as

you take the exam, keep an eye on it. This will

help you pace yourself. For example, when one-

quarter of the time has elapsed, you should be a

quarter of the way through the test, and so on. If

you are falling behind, pick up the pace a bit.

Keep moving. Don’t waste time on one question.

If you don’t know the answer, skip the question

and move on. You can always go back to it later.

Don’t rush. Although you should keep moving,

rushing won’t help. Try to keep calm and work

methodically and quickly.

Step 5: Learn to Use the Process of Elimination

Time to complete: 20 minutes

Activity: Complete the “Using the Process of Elimi-

nation” worksheet.

After time management, your next most important

tool for taking control of your exam is using the pro-

cess of elimination wisely. It’s standard test-taking

wisdom that you should always read all the answer

choices before choosing your answer. This helps you

fnd the right answer by eliminating wrong answer

choices. And, sure enough, that standard wisdom

applies to your exam, too.

You should always use the process of elimina-

tion on tough questions, even if the right answer

jumps out at you. Sometimes the answer that jumps

out isn’t right after all. You should always proceed

through the answer choices in order. You can start

with answer choice a, and eliminate any choices that

are clearly incorrect.

Even when you think you are absolutely clueless

about a question, you can often use the process of

elimination to get rid of one answer choice. If so, you

are better prepared to make an educated guess, as you

will see in Step 6. More often, the process of elimina-

tion allows you to get down to only two possibly right

answers. Then you are in a strong position to guess.

And sometimes, even though you don’t know the

right answer, you fnd it simply by getting rid of the

wrong ones.

Try using your powers of elimination on the

questions in the worksheet “Using the Process of

Elimination.” The questions aren’t about teaching;

they’re just designed to show you how the process of

elimination works. The answer explanations for this

worksheet show one possible way that you might use

the process to arrive at the right answer.

The process of elimination is your tool for the

next step, which is knowing when to guess.

Step 6: Know When to Guess

Time to complete: 20 minutes

Activity: Complete the “Your Guessing Ability”

worksheet.

Armed with the process of elimination, you are ready

to take control of one of the big questions in test tak-

ing: Should I guess? The answer is: Yes. Some exams

have what’s called a “guessing penalty,” in which a

fraction of your wrong answers is subtracted from

your right answers—the Praxis Series of tests does

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USING THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

Use the process of elimination to answer the following questions.

1. Ilsa is as old as Meghan will be in fve years. The difference between Ed’s age and Meghan’s age is twice the difference between Ilsa’s age and Meghan’s age. Ed is 29. How old is Ilsa? a. b. c. d.

4 10 19 24

2. “All drivers of commercial vehicles must carry a valid commercial driver’s license whenever operating a commercial vehicle.”

According to this sentence, which of the following people need NOT carry a commercial driver’s license? a. a truck driver idling his engine while waiting

to be directed to a loading dock b. a bus operator backing her bus out of the

way of another bus in the bus lot c. a taxi driver driving his personal car to the

grocery store d. a limousine driver taking the limousine to

her home after dropping off her last passenger of the evening

3. Smoking tobacco has been linked to a. increased risk of stroke and heart attack. b. all forms of respiratory disease. c. increasing mortality rates over the past 10

years. d. juvenile delinquency.

4. Which of the following words is spelled correctly? a. incorrigible b. outragous c. domestickated d. understandible

Answers Here are the answers, as well as some suggestions as to how you might have used the process of elimination to fnd them.

1. d. You should have eliminated choice a right off the bat. Ilsa can’t be four years old if Meghan is going to be Ilsa’s age in fve years. The best way to eliminate other answer choices is to try plugging them in to the information given in the problem. For instance, for choice b, if Ilsa is 10, then Meghan must be 5. The difference between their ages is 5. The difference between Ed’s age, 29, and Meghan’s age, 5, is 24. Is 24 two times 5? No. Then choice b is wrong. You could eliminate

choice c in the same way and be left with choice d.

2. c. Note the word not in the question, and go through the answers one by one. Is the truck driver in choice a “operating a commercial vehicle”? Yes, idling counts as “operating,” so he needs to have a commercial driver’s license. Likewise, the bus operator in choice b is operating a commercial vehicle; the ques- tion doesn’t say the operator has to be on the street. The limo driver in choice d is operating

(continues)

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USING THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION (continued)

a commercial vehicle, even though it doesn’t have a passenger in it. However, the driver in choice c is not operating a commercial vehi- cle, but his own private car.

3. a. You could eliminate choice b simply because of the presence of the word all. Such abso- lutes hardly ever appear in correct answer choices. Choice c looks attractive until you think a little about what you know—aren’t fewer people smoking these days, rather than more? So how could smoking be responsible for a higher mortality rate? (If you didn’t know that mortality rate means

the rate at which people die, you might keep this choice as a possibility, but you would still be able to eliminate two answers and have only two to choose from.) And choice d is plain silly, so you could eliminate that one, too. You are left with the correct choice, a.

4. a. How you used the process of elimination here depends on which words you recognized as being spelled incorrectly. If you knew that the correct spellings were outrageous, domesti- cated, and understandable, then you were home free.

YOUR GUESSING ABILITY

The following are ten really hard questions. You are not supposed to know the answers. Rather, this is an assessment of your ability to guess when you don’t have a clue. Read each question carefully, as if you were expected to answer it. If you have any knowledge of the subject, use that knowledge to help you eliminate wrong answer choices.