Getting started

The basics

You’ve decided to become a teacher. Passing the Praxis Core exam is an important step in that process. This guide walks you through what the exam covers, how it’s structured, and what to expect on test day.

The Praxis Core exam aligns with the Common Core Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts. It assesses your academic skills and content knowledge in math, reading, and writing.

Forty-six states use Praxis scores to determine whether a candidate is qualified to become a teacher. However, some states require both the Praxis and state-issued tests. The exam also isn’t required in every state, so check your state’s requirements to make sure you’re preparing for the correct test.

Not all states require the same passing score, but all require you to get at least 58% in Reading, 56% in Writing, and 52% in Math.

There are three parts to the test–Reading (5713), Writing (5723), and Math (5733). You can take each part separately or take it all in one day by registering for the Praxis Core Combined Test (5752).

The Reading test

The Reading test contains 56 multiple-choice questions based on a variety of short reading passages. There are usually five answer choices for each question, but some questions may ask you to select more than one answer or may include “all of the above” as a choice.

The questions on the test are divided into three categories, each of which counts for a different percentage of test questions:

• Key Ideas and Details 35%
• Craft, Structure, and Language 30%
• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 35%

The number of questions per passage varies, as does passage length. The shortest passages–up to about fifty words–usually have only one question. Medium-length passages are about one hundred words long and are generally followed by two or three questions. The longest passages, about two hundred words, typically have between five and seven questions each.

Test anxiety

Test anxiety affects many people, including teachers. A little adrenaline can help you stay alert, but too much can make it harder to think clearly and use the skills you’ve practiced. Research on language acquisition has shown that language skills can regress under stress. That’s why people often say, “I was so nervous that I just couldn’t think!”

It helps to remember two practical facts:

• You can take the test as many times as you need to.
• You can decide which set of scores to send.

On test day, treat the exam as another opportunity to apply what you’ve practiced. If you don’t get the score you hoped for, you can review what went wrong, adjust your study plan, and try again.

Second-guessing

Second-guessing is a common by-product of test anxiety, and it can seriously hurt your score. Many students change correct answers to incorrect ones because they stop trusting their reasoning. Only change an answer if you have a clear, specific reason to do so.

This is especially important on vocabulary questions. Most people have an active vocabulary - words they use, see, and hear regularly - that is much smaller than their passive vocabulary - words they recognize and understand in context but don’t usually use themselves. Research has shown that people who trust their “gut feelings” about a word are correct more than ninety percent of the time.

Best practices:

There is no substitute for careful reading. You need to stay focused throughout the entire passage, because answer choices are written to catch you when you lose track.

• Resist the temptation to rush! The test is designed to be completed by someone working at a steady pace, not a speedy one. Any shortcut, such as just skimming the passages or reading the answer choices first, is guaranteed to fail.
• Always read the question before reading the passage. This is especially helpful if you tend to get lost in the details of a text because it helps you stay focused on what you’re being asked.
• Do not read the answer choices. It’s too much to keep track of when you are reading the passage.
• Don’t bog down. Read the passage straight through without stopping. Your goal is to read holistically, all in one gulp, as it were. You can reread to answer questions about the passage’s details, but your first reading should be geared toward finding its main idea.
• Read contextually. When a question asks about a specific sentence or phrase, make sure that you start reading a sentence before the one in question and continue for a sentence or so afterward.
• Note words and phrases that indicate important points and conclusions. If the author says something is important, it is.
• Keep track of transition words and phrases. New information generally appears after a transition, and that information is often the answer to a question.
• Predict the answer to the question for yourself before reading the answer choices.
• Select the answer choice that best matches your answer.

Classic wrong answers

Incorrect answers are written to look convincing, so you have to read them carefully. Adding or removing a single word can make an answer wrong, and so can mixing up names, dates, or relationships.

• Half right, half wrong

  • Always read the entire answer choice! An answer that looks good at the beginning can easily become incorrect by the end. The test writers count on you to let your attention wander halfway through the sentence.

• Matching keywords

  • These questions are designed to catch inattentive readers. NEVER pick an answer simply because it contains words from the passage. Instead, make sure that what the answer choice says about those keywords is correct.

• Extreme language

  • Words such as always, never, only, and completely usually indicate incorrect answers. Most writing is more nuanced, especially in the sciences and social sciences. Instead of saying, “This experiment has conclusively answered this question for all time,” a passage is much more likely to say that more research is needed. Characters in fictional passages are also generally complex and can have nuanced, even contradictory, feelings.

• Overly broad

  • Generalizations often aren’t true. For example, if the passage concerns one study, the answer choice may refer to studies.

• Possibly true, but not stated in the passage

  • Answer choices must match what the passage says, so don’t use your background knowledge to infer something that isn’t in the text. If the passage doesn’t state or imply something is true, it isn’t.

Don’t make assumptions or overthink what you’re reading. Take what the passage says literally, and don’t reach for complex interpretations when simpler ones will do.

Lastly, we must dispel a few myths about how the test works.

• It’s not true that the answer is the word you don’t know. Only pick it if you’re sure all the other choices are wrong.
• It’s not true that the shortest answer is always correct, nor is it true that the longest one is. You have to evaluate the content of the passage, not its length.
• It’s okay if your answer choices are all B or all D because their order is randomized before the test is published. There is no relevance to any pattern you might notice.
• There are no trick questions. Like this book, the test is written by educators who share your values and ideals about the importance of knowledge.

Create a study plan

You can’t prepare for the Praxis without creating–and following!–a study plan.

Humans are creatures of habit. Think about it: how difficult is it to start a new diet or routine? The key is to take small, “bite-sized” steps. If you can allocate 20-30 minutes every day to studying, it will soon become part of your routine. As you get closer to your exam, allocate more time to your studies.

As you practice, watch for patterns in your errors and for question types that consistently challenge you. That information helps you pinpoint what to study next and build a strong foundation.

Make sure you read through the material, click ‘Complete’ at the end of a chapter, and consistently do your assigned reviews (click here) to learn more on how to use our program properly. Achievable is built to be “on the go” and easy to use on your phone. Check out this page to learn how to easily turn this program into an app. The more accessible the program is, the more likely it is that you’ll do the work.

Final thoughts

The book’s final wrap-up includes more details about taking the Praxis Reading exam, including how to register, the cost, and test-taking options.

Feel free to explore this course at your own pace. Work through the course as prompted, starting with the textbook and continuing to practice problems and exams. Following the prompts with consistent, daily investment of time will yield great results. Remember, practice is key. With each question you tackle and each text you analyze, you’re building skills that go beyond the test and that will serve you well in both your academic and personal life. We’re here to help you succeed, and we’re excited to see all that you’ll achieve. Welcome again to the Achievable Praxis Reading Online Course!