All public school teachers in the US must be licensed. In order to gain certification, teachers must prove they qualify. The Praxis is the most widespread exam to test candidates, with 40/50 states requiring it, and the rest accepting it, if applicable.
On Saturday, January 25th, 2020 I will take the Praxis for the first time, 5025 to be exact. I’ll be given 150 minutes to answer 120 multiple choice questions.
For Christmas, my mom gifted: Praxis II Early Childhood Education (5025) Exam Study Guide 2019-2020. While it’s a well thought out and thorough textbook, I’m a terrible studier. Having barely gotten through the practice, I should feel nervous. As a generally anxious person, I should feel nervous. The funny thing about me is, of everything that stresses me out test taking isn’t one of them. + I’ve been assured by coworkers that the Praxis II is the easy one, while the Praxis Core tests are the ones that get rough.
Praxis II (5025) is a two hour, 120 question exam that covers:
- Language and Literacy – 30%
- Foundational skills of emergent literacy
- Foundational skills of reading
- Literature and informational text
- Writing
- Speaking and listening
- Language
- Mathematics – 25%
- Foundational skills of emergent mathematics
- Whole numbers: numbers and operations
- Fractions: numbers and operations
- Algebraic thinking
- Geometry, measurement, and data
- Social Studies– 14%
- Identity, social, and emotional development
- Culture and cultural identity
- Environments, people and places
- Chronology and analyzing historical data
- Government and civics
- Science – 14%
- Scientific inquiry
- Physical Science
- Earth and Space Science
- Life Science
- Engineering, Technology and Science Application
- Health and Physical Education; Creative and Performing Arts – 17%
- Fundamentals of health
- Fundamental concepts and skills of physical education
- Purpose and functions of the Arts
- Structure and processes within the Arts
The 3 Praxis Core exam sections total 152 questions and 2 essays to complete in 300 minutes, and cover reading, mathematics & writing.
The reading section takes 85 minutes and has 56 multiple choice questions covering three areas: (1) key ideas and details; (2) craft, structure and language skills; and (3) integration of knowledge and ideas.
The mathematics section takes 85 minutes and has 56 questions (both multiple choice and numeric entry) covering four areas: (1) number and quantity; (2) algebra and functions; (3) geometry; and (4) statistics and probability.
The writing section takes 100 minutes and has 2 essays (one argumentative topic and one informative/explanatory topic) and 40 multiple choice questions covering four areas: (1) usage, (2) sentence correction, (3) revision in context and (4) research skills.
I’ve never been much of a studier, but I’ve brushed up on quite a bit of math for these exams. I’ll have to update y’all after the weekend is over.
UPDATE 1/25/2020: I got 173/200 raw points. I’ll have my official score report this week!
Neat & Messy 