Prepare for a Praxis™ Test: Strategy and Tips

You can do your best on the Praxis™ tests by allowing plenty of preparation time, developing a study plan to guide your efforts, and reviewing the practice materials provided for each test. ETS offers a number of resources to help you prepare.

• Free Test at a Glance (TAAG) publications are available for every Praxis test. TAAGs include detailed test descriptions and sample questions with answers and explanations.
• Study guides and practice tests may be purchased for select Praxis tests. Study guides contain content outlines, information about the types of questions found on the test, test-taking strategies, study topics with sample questions, and practice questions with correct answers and detailed rationales. Each practice test is a full-length test that was retired by ETS after use in an actual test administration. They include correct answers, scoring instructions and score conversion tables to give you an idea of how you may score on the actual test.
• Other free information is also available to help you prepare for test day. See Computer-Delivered Test Day Video (Flash), General Information and Study Tips and  How to Reduce Test Anxiety.

More tips to help you prepare effectively for test day:

1. Learn what the test covers.
You may have heard that there are several different versions of the same test. It's true. You may take one version of the test and your friend may take a different version a few months later. Each test has different questions covering the same subject area, but both versions of the test measure the same skills and content knowledge.

Test specifications can be found within each TAAG, under "Topics Covered." The TAAGs outline the content categories that will be measured by the test and what percentage of the test will cover each topic.

2. Assess how well you know the content.
Research has shown that test takers tend to overestimate their preparedness — this is why some test takers assume they did well and then find out they did not pass.

The Praxis tests are demanding enough to require serious review of likely content, and the longer you've been away from the content the more preparation you will most likely need. If it has been longer than a few months since you've studied your content area, you will want to make a concerted effort to prepare for the Praxis tests.

3. Collect study materials.
Collecting and organizing your materials for review are critical steps in preparing for the Praxis tests. Consider the following reference sources as you plan your study:

• Did you take a course in which the content area was covered?
• Do you still have your book(s) or your notes?
• Does your college library have a good introductory college-level textbook in this area?
• Does your local library have a high school–level textbook?

Study guides are available for purchase for select Praxis tests. Each guide provides a combination of test preparation and practice, including sample questions and answers with explanations.

4. Plan and organize your time.
You can begin to plan and organize your time while you are still collecting materials. Allow yourself plenty of time to review so you can avoid "cramming" new material at the end. Here are a few tips:

• Choose a test date far enough in the future to leave you plenty of preparation time.
• Work backward from that date to figure out how much time you will need for review.
• Set a realistic schedule and stick to it.

5. Develop a study plan.
A study plan provides a roadmap to prepare for the Praxis tests. It can help you understand what skills and knowledge are covered on the test and where to focus your attention. A written study plan can help you organize your efforts.

6. Practice explaining the key concepts.
Praxis II® constructed-response tests assess your ability to explain material effectively. As a teacher, you'll need to be able to explain concepts and processes to students in a clear, understandable way. What are the major concepts you will be required to teach? Can you explain them in your own words accurately, completely and clearly? Practice explaining these concepts to test your ability to effectively explain what you know.

7. Understand how questions will be scored.
Scoring information can be found in the TAAG for each test.