This adds up to a total of 4 hours and 40 minutes testing time.  You will also begin with twenty minutes to complete requisite tutorials, follow direction screens and sign nondisclosure agreements.  This brings the entire testing time to 5 hours.

NOTE: There are no scheduled breaks with this test.  You also cannot take a break once a subtest has started.

You should expect to see three main types of questions: single-answer, stimulus-based, and cluster. You should expect most questions to require you simply to click an oval next to the correct answer. However, there may be questions that utilize the technology more. They may ask you to zoom in on details in a graphic or picture, click boxes next to all that apply, click on check boxes, click on parts of a graphic or sentence, use a drag and drop feature, or select your answer from a drop-down menu.

Test Day: Can you imagine doing all of this work to get ready, and then getting turned away on test day? To make sure that isn’t you, read through these guidelines:

Be on time! Pay careful attention to the time on your “Admission Ticket” and plan to arrive 30 minutes in advance.  This will give you enough time for any snafus or complications.  They will not let you test if you arrive after this time (and they won’t refund you!).

No electronic devices! In fact, all you should have with you is your Admission Ticket and your ID.  If there is anything else you must carry into the testing facility with you, put it in a small bag.  There will be places to store your belongings inside.

Check your ID before you go. Your ID should be the one you used during registration. If it does not exactly match what you entered into ETS and TEA, you will be turned away.  Make sure it also has your picture and signature on it.

You will be photographed and fingerprinted at the testing site in order to verify your identity. If you refuse, you will not be allowed to test.

English Language Arts

• The developmental process of oral language and how to help students in this development.
• About phonological and phonemic awareness, and how to help a student’s development in these.
• What the alphabetic principle is, and how to teach students it’s importance in spoken and written language.
• About literacy development and its corresponding stages, from emergent to proficient.
• About word identification skills (such as decoding, blending, structural analysis, sight word vocabulary, and contextual analysis) and know how to help students practice these.
• About reading fluency and how to help students improve in that area.
• The importance of reading for understanding, the components and processes of reading comprehension, as well as how to help students improve their comprehension.
• Vocabulary development and how to teach reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
• How to help students understand and use research and inquiry skills.
• English writing conventions and how to teach this to students.
• The development of written communication and how to help students grow in this.
• The skills for interpreting, analyzing, evaluating, and producing visual images and messages.
• How to assess literacy development.

Mathematics

• How students learn mathematical skills.
• The properties of numbers and concepts related to them.
• Patterns, relations, functions, and algebraic reasoning.
• Geometry and measurement concepts.
• Probability and statistical concepts.
• How to reason mathematically and understand mathematical processes.

Science

• How to oversee scientific learning to make sure students are safe.
• The history and nature of science, as well as the process of scientific inquiry.
• The impact of science on daily personal and societal life.
• The unifying concepts and processes of science.
• The theoretical and practical knowledge on how students learn science.
• The appropriate ways to monitor and assess science learning.
• The relationships of forces and motion.
• The physical and chemical properties of matter.
• Energy and its interaction with matter.
• Energy transformations, as well as conversations on matter and energy.
• The structure and function of living things.
• Reproduction and heredity.
• Adaptation and the theory of evolution.
• Relationships between organisms and the environment.
• The structure and function of Earth systems.
• Cycles in Earth systems.
• How energy affects weather and climate.
• Characteristics of the solar system and the universe.

Social Studies

• Social science knowledge and skills, as well as how to teach them.
• Significant historical events and developments with their varying interpretations, according to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
• The geographic relations between people, places, and environments in Texas, the US, and the world.
• Cultural development, adaptation, diversity, and interactions between science, technology, and society, according to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
• Economic systems and why people organize them.
• Concepts of government, democracy, and citizenship.

Now that you know the “what” and “how”, it is time to develop a solid test-taking strategy that will maximize your preparation.

First, go through the test and answer all of the questions that you are confident about.  The questions that will probably be fastest to answer are the single-answer questions.  These will be direct-response questions or unfinished statements.  Make sure to read all of the answer options before responding.

Stimulus-based questions are also a good place to start.  Look at the chart, graph or image first, then examine the answer choices before selecting the right one.  Just like with single-answer questions, though, if you don’t know the answer right away, move on and come back to it.

Once you have answered all of the questions that are easiest for you, head back to the beginning to work on the questions you skipped.  (NOTE: You can mark questions you are skipping as you go so that you remember to go back to them later.)

For single-answer questions, the best approach is to use process of elimination and then educated guessing.  There is no penalty for guessing—no points off for wrong answers—so it is worth a shot.

For cluster questions, you want to take your time.  Cluster questions are a series of questions that are based off the same stimulus or set of stimuli.  For a graph or image, it is usually best to read the questions first, then look at the graphic to find your answer.  For reading passages, you should flip that. Read through the passage, making note of key points, then read through and answer the questions.  This way, you can more quickly find the information you need.