Texas Teacher Certification Exam?

Question

Am I the only one who cannot pass the Texas teacher Certification Exam? Ive taken the 4-8 social studies exam several times and miss passing by a few points every time and just crushes me that i still can't live my dream to teach. If anyone has any tips for passing the texas please fill me in. thank you.

Answer 1

My instructor's advice was to not read into the questions, and to remember that the answer that has the most benefit for the child is the correct answer.  The test is written in a "perfect" world so you have every resource, cooperative parents, supportive administration, etc.  I also had someone tell me that the answer that is the most fun is the one to go with if you're torn (no skill & drill).  Hope that helps!

Answer 2

What type of study guides are you using? Barnes and Nobles (or any bookstore, really) has some really good study guides as well as the TeXes website. You can order the paper version of the study guide or (if you have the time) read the guide online. It has some practice questions with the answers and answer explanations. Remember, you have to look for the "perfect" answer and the "pretty" words when answering the situational questions. Also, when looking for a study guide book, look for one that has answer explanations, practice exams, guides to help you determine your weak spots (certain domains that you need more work on). Good luck!!

Answer 3

I'm not sure exactly what the certification tests look like, but there are some basic problems that you could be having.  Are you getting through the whole test or leaving some of the questions blank?  Then it might be a issue with the use of your time.

Is it mostly multiple choice or are there essay questions, too?  Sometimes written responses are more difficult than being able to rule out multiple choice answers.

Are there areas that you know you struggle with on the test?  Usually when you take a test, you know which questions catch you off guard.  Maybe you need to brush up on those areas.  You also might want to skip the ones you don't know fairly quickly and then go back to them at the end.  Give yourself a chance to get through the whole test and get the answers you know for sure down.

Have you ordered any of the study guides for the test?  They can really be helpful.  http://www.texes.ets.org/

The way your question is worded, I assume you're talking about a specific content test and not a basic skills/teacher competency.

Good luck!