PRAXIS Core Test Strategy: Winning Multiple Choice Strategies for the PRAXIS Core Test!

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Contents

PRAXIS Core Study Guide

Getting Started with the PRAXIS Core

Test Strategy

Types of Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-Choice Quick Tips

Answering Multiple-Choice Step-by-Step

Multiple-Choice Strategy Practice Questions

Answer Key

Reading Comprehension Practice Questions

Answer Key

English Grammar Multiple-Choice

How to Answer English Grammar

Multiple-Choice - Verb Tense

Common English Usage Mistakes - A Quick Review

Subject Verb Agreement

English Grammar Practice Questions

Answer Key

Basic Math Multiple-Choice Strategy

Math Multiple-Choice Strategy

Answer Key

Fraction Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts

Decimal Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts

Percent Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts

Word Problem Multiple-Choice Strategy

Types of Word problems

Practice Questions

Answer Key

How to Write an Essay

Common Essay Mistakes - Example 1

Common Essay Mistakes - Example 2

Writing Concisely

Avoiding Redundancy

How to Prepare for a Test

How to Take a Test

Reading the Instructions

How to Take a Test - The Basics

In the Test Room – What you MUST do!

Avoid Anxiety Before a Test

Common Test-Taking Mistakes

Conclusion

Getting Started with the

PRAXIS Core

Congratulations! By deciding to take the PRAXIS Core, you have taken the first step toward a great future! Of course, there is no point in taking this important examination unless you intend to do your very best to earn the highest grade that you possibly can. That means getting yourself organized and discovering the best approaches, methods and strategies to master the material. Yes, that will require real effort and dedication on your part, but if you are willing to focus your energy and devote the study time necessary, before you know it you will be finished the exam with a great mark!

We know that taking on a new endeavour can be a little scary, and it is easy to feel unsure of where to begin. That’s where we come in. This study guide is designed to help you improve your test-taking skills, show you a few tricks and increase both your competency and confidence.

The PRAXIS Core Exam

The PRAXIS Core exam is composed of four sections, reading, mathematics, sentence skills and writing. The reading section consists of reading comprehension questions. The mathematics section contains three sections, arithmetic, algebra and college level math. The sentence skills section contains questions on sentence structure and rewriting sentences. The writing section contains an essay question.

While we seek to make our guide as comprehensive as possible, it is important to note that like all exams, the PRAXIS Core Exam might be adjusted at some future point. New material might be added, or content that is no longer relevant or applicable might be removed. It is always a good idea to give the materials you receive when you register to take the PRAXIS Core a careful review.

While we seek to make our guide as comprehensive as possible, note that like all entrance exams, the PRAXIS Core Exam might be adjusted at some future point. New material might be added, or content that is no longer relevant or applicable might be removed. It is always a good idea to give the materials you receive when you register to take the PRAXIS Core a careful review.

Test Strategy

This is a book about improving your score by using proven test strategies. This is a little different from other books such as a study guide, or a practice test. Even though we do provide lots of information to study and practice test questions, this book is about how to tackle multiple choice questions.

But do not worry - that is not all! While you are learning different strategies for answering multiple choice questions, you can also practice your skill at answering reading comprehension test questions English grammar and usage, and basic math, which are half your score on the PRAXIS Core.

A Better Score Is Possible

Worried about that big exam coming up? Do you think you’re just not a good test-taker, especially when it comes to standardized tests? The good news is that you’re not alone. The bad news is that millions of people are left behind through objective testing, simply because they’re not good test-takers - even though they may know the material. They don’t know how to handle the format well or understand what’s expected of them.

This is especially true of the multiple-choice test. Test-takers are given lots of support for taking essay-style tests. They’re helped with skills such as grammar and spelling. However, little is offered for the multiple-choice exam. This is despite the fact that thousands of people find multiple-choice to be the most challenging kind of test. Here are some reasons that so many people have difficulties with multiple-choice:

The Broad Range. Because the questions are so short and quick, a lot of ground is covered in the test. Who’s to know what to study with so much material covered?

Time Limits. Most standardized tests have time limits, which adds an extra layer of pressure.

Trickery. Many test-designers think that it is too easy to guess a multiple-choice question correctly, so they intentionally make the questions tricky.

Bluffing Not Allowed. With an essay test, you can try to bluff your way through it. Not so with multiple-choice. The answer is either right or wrong.

Difficult to Write. It’s not easy for a test-writer to design a good multiple-choice test. Because of this, sometimes, they make them overly difficult.

Shuffled Content. Multiple-choice tests tend to throw the questions in at random, in no particular order. You could be answering a question about the 1700s and then about the 2004 Presidential election.

These challenges mean that students have to be familiar with a wider range of material than on other kinds of exams. You’ll need to know specific vocabulary, rules, names, dates, etc.

There are, however, a few advantages to you, the test-taker, with a multiple-choice test. For instance, because there are more multiple-choice items on a test than there are other types, each question tends to have a lower point value. You can afford to miss a few and still be okay. Also, if you’re doing a fill-in-the blank or essay test, you have to rely totally on memory for the answer. With a multiple-choice exam, you know that the correct answer is somewhere in the question. You just have to decide which one it is. Often, seeing the right answer will trigger your memory, and you’ll recognize it instantly.

Keep in mind, though, the test-writer knows that one of the advantages of multiple-choice is the fact the answer is on the page. This leads to many test-writers to include what is called a distracter. This is a possible answer that is designed to look like the correct answer, but which is actually wrong. We’ll talk about this again later, but an example would be the question: Who is known for posting 95 theses on a church wall? Among the answers might be Martin Luther and Martin Luther King. Because the student vaguely remembers the name Martin Luther from the course materials, there’s a chance that he’ll select the incorrect Martin Luther King.

Who Does Well On Multiple-Choice Exams?

With so many challenges working against you on the multiple-choice exam, what’s the answer? Is there a way to improve your chances and your score? There is! The point of this book is not to discourage you, but to make you aware that there are strategies and tips that you can incorporate to raise your test score. Before we get into the specific strategies, let’s take a general look at who does best on these types of tests.

Those who know the material. This should go without saying, but the thing that will most raise your test score will be if you know the material that’s going to be covered. While the strategies we’ll discuss later will help you even with questions you’re unsure of, the surest thing you can do is learn the rules, dates, names, and concepts that you’ll be tested on.

Those who have a calm, cool demeanor when taking a test. Panicking can cause you to forget the information you think you know. Confidence goes a long way toward a better mark on multiple-choice.

Those who meditate or pray before the test. Don’t laugh. It’s a known fact that people who meditate or pray, depending on their beliefs, enter a test room more confidently, and do better on the exam.

Those who operate on logic rather than instinct. Those who take a multiple-choice test based on instinct will be tempted to overlook the stated facts, and let emotion rule.

Those who have a system. Most of the book will deal with this, but you should not just guess randomly on questions you don’t know. You must have a systematic strategy.

Types of Multiple-Choice

Questions

Even if you know that a test will be multiple-choice, you still don’t know all that you need to know. There are various types of multiple-choice questions. Some tests will use just one of these kinds. Others will use several, or even all of them. Let’s examine the various types of multiple-choice questions you are likely to encounter.

1. The Who, What, Where Question. This is the simplest, most basic form of multiple-choice question. It asks for you to recall a single, simple fact about the material. For instance:

Where did the Wright Brothers fly their first airplane?

a. Richmond, VA

b. Kitty Hawk, NC

c. Charlotte, NC

d. Philadelphia, PA

The correct answer is B. This question simply asks for you to correctly identify a place name.

2. The Multiple-Answer Multiple-choice Question. This one varies from the Who, What, Where question in that more than one answer could be correct. It often appears like this:

Which of the following was not a declared war by the U.S. Congress?

I. World War I

II. World War II

III. The Korean War

IV. The Vietnam War

a. I only

b. I and II only

c. III only

d. IV only

e. III and IV only

The correct answer here is E; neither the Korean nor Vietnam Wars were declared a war by Congress. These questions are tricky because many people are tempted, when they see a right answer, to select it, without thinking that there might be another answer that’s also right.

3. The Best Answer Multiple-choice Question. On this type, the there might not be one clear objective answer, but rather, you’re required to select the one that comes closest to being right, or closest to what you believe is right. For example:

The factor which was the most to blame for the 1986 explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger was:

a. It launched too early in the morning.

b. The cold weather allowed ice to develop.

c. The astronauts did not have enough sleep.

d. The astronauts were not adequately trained.

While it’s entirely possible that C or D might have played a role, it’s now commonly believed that the cause was the ice which had built up on the Shuttle’s O rings. Some answers are possible, but B is the best answer.

4. The Fill in the Blank Multiple-choice Question. This is frequently used on both grammar and reading comprehension tests. The question is presented as a sentence, with one or two key words left out. You must choose the correct one to fill the blank. Example:

The animals at the zoo _________________ by the visitors.

a. Did not feed

b. Cannot fed

c. Should not be fed

d. Never feeding

The answer is C, since The animals at the zoo should not be fed by the visitors is the only one which