The OAE (Ohio Assessments for Educators) is an exam series required for teaching licensure in the state of Ohio. If you’re a test-taker preparing for the OAE exam, this article is for you! We will discuss everything you need to know about how difficult the exam is and how to pass it. We will also help you build a study plan and find study guides and resources that are tailored specifically for the OAE.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
The difficulty of the OAE is different for every test-taker. A person’s academic and professional background, the amount of effective preparation they’ve done, and test day conditions can all factor into how hard the test will feel for you. However, passing rates from previous years can give some indication of the exam difficulty. In 2015-2016, 80% of test-takers passed the OAE pedagogy assessments. Passing rates for subject tests have generally been lower, at around 50-60%. For more statistics on passing rates, you can visit the Ohio Assessments for Educators website. Always make sure to follow a study plan and prepare effectively before test day.
Follow these steps to pass the OAE:
The OAE is an exam series that includes general pedagogical and content-area assessments. Different teacher licensure areas have different OAE requirements. You can find information on which OAE test you should take here! You can also visit the OAE website or contact your agency licensing board for testing requirements.
After determining which OAE exam(s) to take, make an account and register online at the Ohio Assessments for Educators website. Check out this step-by-step guide to OAE registration for more info!
An effective study plan should include enough time to learn about the test and study each test competency, including repeated reviews, practice problems, and at least one practice test. Make sure to start early and make a schedule with achievable goals. You can find everything you need right here at 240 Tutoring!
Once you’ve made an effective study plan, stick to it to achieve results. As you complete practice problems, it’s okay to adjust your study plan timing as needed so that there’s enough time to fully cover all the test competencies and try practice exams before test day. You can find more tips for creating a workable study plan here!
Making a test day routine can help decrease test anxiety and free up your brain to focus on passing the exam. Be sure to check the testing policies of your test center! They will require an official form of ID, etc. and if policies are not followed, you will likely not be able to test! Dress comfortably in layers in case the test center is uncomfortably warm or cold and be sure to recheck the test center address, appointment time, and testing policies before leaving home on test day. Check here for more test day tips!
Time to celebrate!
There are lots of resources for the OAE. 240 Tutoring is your one-stop-shop for test information, study guides, practice problems, and full-length practice tests for the OAE all in one place! If you’re looking for even more information, Ohio Assessments for Educators website is a good resource as well.
The best way to prepare for the OAE is to familiarize yourself with the test, including the test structure and details about how the exam is scored. Then, follow a study guide and do as many practice problems as you can. Study guides like those offered by 240 Tutoring are engaging, efficient, and are created using information from past versions of the OAE itself. . If you complete any practice problems or tests, make sure they are designed specifically for OAE preparation so that they are the closest in format and content to the real exam.
Study guides are targeted summaries of information that will appear on the exam. They are more efficient study tools than raw material from a lecture or textbook because they cover key concepts that are likely to show up on the exam. A quality study guide will include vocabulary terms, graphics or illustrations of important processes, and step-by-step example problems.
As you read a study guide for the first time, take note of difficult questions or any confusion as you go. It is important to engage with the study material. If you find you want more information than you are seeing in your study guide, you can research online to expand on the knowledge in the study guide. Finally, review the study guide again to make sure that you fully understand everything on it. After completing a study guide for each test competency, continue to do quick reviews to keep the information fresh as test day approaches.
The best way to study for the OAE is to make an effective study plan and stick to it! A study plan is like a map that shows all the test content to learn and a timeline for completing each topic.
Here is one sample schedule you could follow:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – Review study guides (90 minutes each session)
Saturday – Work practice problems (2 hours each session)
You should start studying for the OAE at least two to three months before the test day. This will ensure that you have time to make an effective study plan and learn everything about the test. Include a timeline in the study plan so that you know approximately how much time it will take to cover each topic on the test. Make sure to leave enough time for practice problems, including a full-length practice OAE test.
People study at different speeds, and it’s OK to reduce or increase the amount of time you budget for each topic as you go.
Cramming the content a few days before the exam is NOT an effective strategy. Adequate sleep and a healthy lifestyle support learning and critical thinking. But if you’re in a pinch and must study last minute, here are our tips for cramming as effectively as possible.
You should study as much as you need to pass the OAE. The amount of studying that you need to do may be different from the amount that someone else needs to do. A person’s academic or professional background, the effectiveness of their study plan, and previous experience with the exam will all contribute to the amount of study time needed. In general, you should study for one to three hours several times a week and include about two hours of practice problems each week. More frequent, shorter study sessions will reduce distractions and help retention.
So what are you waiting for? Get going! Check out more free OAE resources here.
Aubrey is a graduate student studying chemical contaminants in marine food webs. She is interested in all things science-y and aims to improve scientific communication by making concepts accessible and fun for interdisciplinary audiences. Aubrey loves to swim, and she once visited all 34 public pools in her Texas hometown in one day.