Running head: PRAXIS CORE ANALYSIS 1

Praxis Core Analysis

Lucas Gruber

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 220; Education Psychology

Doctor Rochelle Hooks

December 5 2020
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To start, the Praxis Core Exam is one of two tests required to further pursue a degree and

career in education. It consists of three portions, which are reading, writing, and math.

Universities such as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno

require a passing score in all segments of the Core Exam to be accepted into their educational

programs. Nevada State College (NSC) on the other hand, allows students to take a preparatory

course for the test and still be accepted into the program; however, upper-division courses for the

degree can only be taken after passing scores have been provided. Passing scores for reading,

writing, and math are respectively: 156, 162, and 150. Students can begin working towards their

degree upon achieving those scores, and later down the line, they can take a Praxis Exam in their

specified subject to qualify for a teaching license.

In regards to how I prepared, I mostly focused on the math portion of the practice exam.

It has been a few years since I last took a math class, and I was quite anxious about passing it

since I have always struggled with the subject. So, I watched the review video that covered all of

the concepts that would be covered in the exam, and I took notes on what they were about and

how to solve them. I also went through the learning module provided by Khan Academy and

practiced all of the concepts that were provided. As for the reading and writing, I was far less

thorough and gave more of a cursory glance at the materials. I mostly skimmed over the study

guides and skipped through the videos, which was meant to give me an inkling of what to expect.

I am satisfied with the scores I got from the practice tests. Math was my major concern of

the three subjects and I received an 85%, which places me at likely to pass. A lot of the material

was quite old in regards to how long ago I learned them, and the only math class I have taken

since high school was pre-calculus, which was far less relevant to the concepts being tested in

the exam. An 85% means that my chances are pretty good for the actual exam so long as I keep
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up with my studying and I am quite happy about that. My reading score came in at 73% which

puts me on the borderline between passing and needing improvement. This means that I need

some further studying and supplementation to pass the Praxis. However, the most concerning of

all my scores would be writing as I only received a 68% in the subject, and I need improvement

to pass the Core Exam. Now, normally this would leave me quite worried, but writing is one of

my strongest subjects and the score does not include actual writing skills. My attitude towards

these practice tests was to prepare for the math portion, and then simply gauge my skills in the

other two subjects as they were. I am quite confident that the scores I received were within my

acceptable levels, and that I can raise them to a passing grade with further studying.

As for the future, I plan on attending NSC in the future and taking their preparatory

courses for the Praxis Core Exams. I will likely supplement this course with a study book and

continue practicing any online learning modules that may be available. I am sure that I will also

pay for another round of practice tests to further gauge my progress and identify any areas that I

am struggling with and need to prioritize.