To score well on the school psychology Praxis™, familiarize yourself with the content that will be covered on the exam, assess your level of knowledge of the exam content, and create a study plan that targets any areas where your level of knowledge may be lacking. Talk to anyone you know who has scored well on the test and ask for study advice. Construct a realistic study schedule and abide by it. Take into account the advice provided by The National Association of School Psychologists, which recommends that those preparing for exam should consider how ETS® weighs test topics, focus study in areas of personal weakness, study accordingly, and remember “best practice” principles during the test to narrow answer choices.
ETS® administers the school psychology Praxis™ exam, which consists of 120 multiple-choice questions that examinees have two hours to complete. The test is scored on number of correct answers provided, so it is better to guess on a question than to leave an answer blank. Exam questions relate to content from six different areas of competence. The six content areas are: data-based decision making; research-based academic practices; research-based behavioral and mental health practices; consultation and collaboration; applied psychological foundations; and ethical, legal, and professional foundations. The exam tests some of the content areas more heavily than others.
The National Association of School Psychologists and ETS® offer free information about the exam, including a thorough description of the structure of the test, detailed explanations of each of the content areas included on the test, and sample test questions. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with this free information before preparing your study plan. Once you understand the test structure and have a good idea of the content that will be covered on the test, you will be ready to assess your level of knowledge and create a study plan that fits your individual needs.
Collect the materials you expect to see on the test and group them by content area. These materials can be found in various places. If you are nearing the end of your graduate coursework, you will have taken courses related to most of the content areas. Books and notes from past classes can be used as study materials. Additional test preparation books and computer software can be purchased from ETS® or another educational publisher. It may also be helpful to ask people you know who have scored well on the school psychology Praxis™ if they are willing to share the study materials they used to prepare for the exam.
Once you have collected the materials you expect to see on the exam, honestly assess your level of knowledge in each content area. You will probably find that you need to study some content areas more than others. Keep in mind that the school psychology Praxis™ does not test all content areas equally. You will need to use your own best judgment to decide which areas you should concentrate on most during your study time. Based on when you plan to take the test and how much time your lifestyle will allow for study, construct a realistic study schedule that appropriately allocates your time between each of the content areas.
After creating your study schedule, be sure to apply yourself during the hours you have set aside for study. You should also periodically re-evaluate your level of knowledge in each of the content areas. Over time, is it normal to find that you need to spend more or less time on a particular content area, and it can be helpful to allow some flexibility with respect to which content areas you will focus on most during your study sessions. Armed with a practical, prudent, and targeted study plan, you should be able to achieve a passing score on the school psychology Praxis™.
