Customer Reviews

How to Prepare for Praxis

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am considering teaching as a second career and had to take the Elementary test (0014) for admission to a graduate school. My first piece of advice is to think about the tests in terms of their numerical codes and not the names because the names are totally confusing and all sound the same. If you need to take the PPST (pre-professional skills test, which is the Praxis I and easy to distinguish) this is probably a pretty good book. If you need to take the 0014 this is a very good review book for the math, but nothing else. Although this book says it's a review for the 0014 it has one practice test, nothing else. But that's still better than anything else I could find. I couldn't find anything to review for the science and social studies, but if you are a smart person you should pass. The English part will be easy if you've had any education courses, which I didn't. The Educational Testing service also has a review book for the 0014 but all it is is a daunting list of what you have to know, but no content materials. The ETS book has a practice exam too which was the only useful part of the book. If you have to take the 0014, you're pretty much on your own.

I've been helping college students prepare for PRAXIS tests for many years. This third edition is the very best, and the most cost effective preparation for Praxis tests.

There is a complete, updated, PPST mathematics, reading and writing review with hundreds of practice questions. There are two realistic practice PPSTs with fully explained answers. If you are taking the computerized PPST, or you are JUST taking the PPST, I recommend Barron's How to Prepare for Praxis I.

The revised PLT section has a thorough review, and a realistic practice test with fully explained answers, along with a review quiz and extra targeted questions. The Listening section reflects the new test with a realistic practice listening test and explained answers.

The all-new Elementary Education sections feature full-length Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, and Content Knowledge tests. Each test has extensive answer explanations. There is also a full length Content Area Exercises test with useful examples of constructed response answers.

The overview of other subject assessments describes many secondary assessments and gives between ten and twenty questions, without answer explanations, for each area. This is just a partial overview, and you should not get the book JUST for this section. My students like it because it is an additional source of often scarce sample questions for these tests.

My students appreciate the multiple choice and constructed response test strategies, the extra help about required state test scores, becoming certified as a teacher, writing a resume, and finding a teaching position.

I recommend this book to every student who will take a Praxis test.

I just took the Praxis test and although this book was helpful, it put emphasis on trivial parts of the test and wasn't thorough enough on others. For example, the book was not specific to any test. It was difficult to figure out what you needed to study for the 0014 test. I studied dance, music and art which wasn't on the test. The social studies section on the test was extremely specific. The book suggested that if you just "looked over" that section, you would be in good shape. The math in the book is thorough and tedious but the test questions were a piece of cake in comparison. In short, the book was helpful but definitely needs to be be more specific about what is required for each test and concentrate on each of the four core areas.

Preparing for PraxisII test #0014 is an exercise in futility. Not much is around to help. But Barron's How to Prepare for Praxis" is an excellent beginning. The practice test was more difficult than the one I took (I scored 183 out of 200 qualifying for the ETS Recognition of Excellence and I've been out of school a long time). If math is a problem, I recommend Cliff's Math Review for Standardized Tests by Jerry Bobrow. This book could be renamed "math for dummies" so excellent it is. A must have for the mathematically challenged. I got both at Amazon; quick delivery and no shipping charge!!

Also recommend an online course (Praxis Secrets is excellent) to cut through all the obfuscation test preparers try to throw at you. Historically I was getting in the mid 400's on my SAT because I had no preparation. What a difference a few books make!!!!!

After trying to franctically prepare for the praxis, I found this study guide especially helpful. This study guide is a must buy! Try to include the offical study guides and tests from ETS and you should be fine. What you should never purchase are any of the CDs from a praxis company called "teaching solutions." Talk about getting had! Watch out for these internet companies! Stick to the best and you'll do the best.

I used this book to prepare for the Elementary Education Subject Assessment (10011). The complete practice test and explained answers in this book are a wonderful resource and much better than the book from the test publisher.

This book delivers exactly what it says it will deliver. But the information posted by Amazon is out of date..... If you want the book for a secondary Subject Assessment you may want to go to a store so you can see exactly which tests are covered.

Excellent book. There is so much here that is so helpful for such a reasonable price.

This is a great book, but the new Fourth Edition is even better and this book should be replaced on Amazon with the new edition (white cover). The new fourth edition has more test material and a brand new CD with self scoring tests. The CD contains all the chapters in the book. I recommend How to Prepare for the Praxis with CD-ROM 4th edition by Robert Postman.

Limon

I took the Elementary Content Knowledge Praxis (0014) and used this book as a study guide. There is only one practice test in this book, but it is good prep for this exam. The format is very similar to the actual exam. If you study the content of the practice test, you should do fine on the real exam (in other words, the questions are not the same, but the subject is very similar.)

Good luck!

This book was worthless and gave me ZERO help for the middle grades praxis tests. It focuses on elementary education tests and the PPST. If you are preparing for the middle grades PRAXIS II PLT 5-9 try The Best Teachers' Test Preparation for the Praxis Plt Test Grades 5-9: Principles of Learning and Teaching Test instead.

Based on all the different books I've seen, admittedly, this really is the best out there. That and the Cliff's study guide. I used this to study for the PPST the night before I took the test and it helped me remember all the materials I had forgotten, some from as long as 10 years ago, when I last took geometry. I took the computerized reading, math, and writing exams, and got above 180 on reading and math(I'm still waiting for my writing scores.)

Unfortunately, that's all it was good for. Being in Pennsylvania and wanting to teach music, I had other subject tests to take, namely the Fundamental Subjects exam and the Music Content Knowledge exam, which weren't even mentioned in this book. The Cliff's study guide was good for the general studies(language arts, math, science, citizenship/social studies) but I still have not found _any_ effective study guide for the music exams.(If anyone out there knows of any, please let me know, just in case I bombed the Music Content Knowledge, or I move to another state and have to take one of the other exams) I was disappointed that this book didn't help me prepare for those exams, but nowhere near as disappointed as I was with my inability to find _any_ test prep materials for the music exams and just fishing through the local public library to find whatever Music Ed textbooks were available.

Granted, not everyone reading this review will be teaching music, but be ye forewarned, that there may be certain tests that you will need to take that this book(nor any other book available) will adequately prepare you for

Anyway, that's my review, and I'm standing by it.