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The Praxis test holds the key to becoming a teacher. Because of this, many people get anxious about taking the exam, fearing that they’ll fail it. Rather than letting these feelings overwhelm you, here are some Praxis test taking tips that you can use to help you.
Be Prepared
My mom always says “if you’re prepared, you won’t fear.” Many people overestimate how prepared they are for the test. Rather than assuming that your education or work experience prepared you enough, you need to take time to study the information. Plan plenty of time to review the material.
Also, know what’s on the exam and what kinds of questions you’ll need to answer. The unknown can be scary. Take away some of the fear by knowing what to expect and thoroughly studying the information.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
When taking the exam, you want to be fully rested so you’re focused and able to recall the information you studied. Get a good night’s sleep the night before. This doesn’t mean that you should crawl into bed at 7 PM. That is, unless you normally go to sleep at this time. Go to sleep at a reasonable hour, and make sure to get plenty of rest to keep you alert during the Praxis test.
Eat a Good Breakfast
Maybe you’re too nervous to eat. Or perhaps you don’t normally eat breakfast. Don’t that happen to you on the day of the exam! On that day, take the time to sit down and eat a nutritious breakfast. You don’t want to suffer from hunger pains in the middle of the exam. Your growling stomach will distract you, and make it difficult to focus on the questions.
Answer Every Question
You won’t be penalized for answering incorrectly, so it’s to your benefit to answer every question. It’s a good idea to go through the exam, answering all of the questions that you know. Then, go back through the exam and spend time focusing on the ones that you’re unsure about. I like to use scratch paper to make a note of all of the questions that I want to review. You can use the extra time to answer the questions. If you don’t know the answer, make an educated guess and move on.
Eliminate Wrong Answers
There are no patterns to the answers. The idea of answering C to questions that you don’t know won’t help you. Instead, try eliminating wrong answers. Rather than guessing between 4 answers, you can guess between 2 or 3 answers. This increases your chances of guessing the question correctly.
Manage Your Time
Since the exam is timed, it’s important to know good test taking time management. Don’t spend too much time on a single question. Instead, try to get through as many questions that you can in the time that you have. Then, you can use the previous tips and spend the extra time on questions that require a little more thought.
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