Preparing for and Taking the Constructed-Response Tests on the Praxis II: Subject Assessments

The Praxis II: Subject Assessments were designed by the Educational Testing Services in order to evaluate the test taker’s knowledge of subject areas. These tests are a required part of obtaining a teaching license in many states, although each state has different criteria in test requirements and passing scores. In order to fully test your knowledge on subjects there are two different test formats that are used. Constructed-response tests are in short questions that require an essay form of an answer. There are several things that the test taker can do to prepare for this type of test.

Because constructed-response tests require you to write out your answer rather than select an answer from a supplied group, there are fewer questions to answer. But since each question takes longer to answer the question counts for more points of the total score. To prepare for these questions so that the test taker does not get flustered there are several things that can be done.

• By learning what the test covers by looking at descriptions of the test. The test specifications will detail what kind of questions will be asked and what content will be covered. This will allow the test taker to gauge how well he or she knows the subject matter. Once the content of the test questions is deduced, it is easier for the test taker to practice explaining key concepts that may be on the test. As a teacher, the test taker will be required to explain things to students, so it is understandable that this knowledge would be included on the exam.
• An understanding of how answers will be scored is also crucial. The test scorers do not deduct points for grammatical errors, misspellings or bad handwriting; they only look at the answer and whether or not it covers the complete answer to the question. Knowing the features of the scoring guide will allow the test taker to work answers around them.
• The test taker should also understand what is being asked in a constructed-response question. This is very important because the test scorers look for key points and will not allow tangents on answers. A good rule of thumb for making sure that you are answering all aspects of the question is to underline or circle what is being asked. That way the test taker can quickly look back at the question to see what needs to be answered. This can be extremely useful if the question requires the answer to be made up of several parts. Once you answer a section of the question, you can make a note by it and move onto the next portion of the question.

When it comes to taking the constructed-response portion of the Praxis II: Subject Assessments being prepared is essential. Knowing what may be on the test can greatly help the test taker to study relevant material and practice discussing key topics in the subject area. Also knowing how the answers are scored can help because it will allow the test taker to format his or her responses to fit the guidelines. As with all questions, the test taker must make sure that all aspects of the question are understood and only answer what is asked.