Top Reasons for Low Scores

Most students pass the Praxis exam on the first try. Studies conducted on standardized tests by ETS have shown that many low scores can be attributed to four general factors:

Lack of Preparation

According to ETS, unprepared candidates represent the majority of failures on the Praxis II Specialty Area Exams. Many students overestimate their preparedness. A recent survey of candidates exiting the Praxis II Exams revealed that 90% of them leaving tests say they did alright. Unfortunately, many of them were mistaken.

The candidate survey revealed that many students are unprepared for the exams. Thirty-three percent (33%) of those leaving the tests say they didn’t review the TAAG, didn’t review texts or notes, didn’t prepare in any way. These candidates represent the majority of failures.
 

Ineffective Time Management

Many students have not learned how to pace themselves while taking an examination. When they realize they are running out of time, they sometimes panic and skip over questions without answering them. Only correct answers count toward your score. So, it is better to guess than to leave an answer blank.

Other students finish early and spend their spare time second-guessing themselves. These students often end up changing correct answers if given too much time on a test. These students should review their answers but be skeptical of changing too many answers. The best advice is to know your test-taking characteristics and act accordingly.

Test Anxiety

Some students become over-anxious. This causes them to forget content, guess wildly, or lose their concentration. If you have high levels of text anxiety you might benefit from a test preparation course.

Misunderstanding the Praxis II Specialty Area Exams

Many students either misunderstand, or are lead to erroneous ideas about how to take the exams.

The Praxis exam is not an IQ test, it does not assess your intelligence. The Praxis PE Exams cover the content that a beginning physical educator is expected to have mastered. The exam includes assessments of knowledge and application. The exam questions range from fundamental knowledge items to relatively complex applications that a beginning teacher is expected to possess. Simply put, knowledge is not enough! You must be able to apply your knowledge to the Praxis Exams.

When Should You Take the Exams

I highly recommended that students take the Praxis examination in their last semester of school or as late as possible during their undergraduate preparation. This will better ensure that you have the knowledge base to pass the Praxis examination.

ETS provides much of this information in their publication General Information and Study Tips for Praxis II: Subject Assessments (1999). The information is presented here with their permission.