Table of Contents
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 2
Beyond the Book 2
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1 Getting Started with the Praxis Core 5
Chapter 1 Previewing the Praxis 7
Why Take the Praxis? 7
Breaking Down the Praxis 8
Knowing what topics the Praxis covers 8
Seeing what types of questions you can expect 9
Understanding How the Test Is Scored 10
Chapter 2 Getting Ready for Test Day 11
Registering for the Test 11
Using Your Time Wisely 12
Budgeting your study time leading up to test day 12
Budgeting your time while taking the test 13
When Test Day Has Arrived 14
Knowing what to bring and what to leave at home 15
Getting familiar with computer testing 15
If You're Retaking the Test 16
Chapter 3 Practicing the Praxis: Sampling Some Practice Questions 17
Going through the Pre-Assessment Questions 17
Reading practice questions 18
Writing practice questions 21
Mathematics practice questions 23
Looking at the Pre-Assessment Answers 26
Reading answers and explanations 26
Writing answers and explanations 29
Math answers and explanations 31
Assessing Your Results 33
Identifying categories where you struggled 34
Understanding where you went wrong specifically 34
Part 2 Mastering Math Concepts 37
Chapter 4 Count on It: Number and Quantity 39
Working with Integers: Whole Numbers and Their Opposites 39
Doing basic operations with integers 40
Finding factors of whole numbers 41
Employing some helpful divisibility rules 42
Finding multiples of integers 43
Determining the greatest common factor and least common multiple 44
Exponents and square roots 45
Computing with Fractions and Mixed Numbers 46
Simplifying fractions 46
Converting between fractions and mixed numbers 47
Performing basic operations on fractions and mixed numbers 48
Working with Decimals and Percents 51
Converting among decimals, percents, fractions, and mixed numbers 52
Determining percent change 53
Performing basic operations on decimals 53
Understanding the Number Line 54
Interpreting numeration and place values 55
Knowing the basics of order 55
Finding orders of magnitude 56
Finding numbers in sequences 56
Following Orders: The Order of Operations 57
Remembering GEMDAS 57
Using the order of operations within itself 58
Reasoning with Quantities 58
Using the two major systems of measurement 58
Converting units of measurement 60
Basic word problems 61
Working with unit rates 61
Practice Questions about Number and Quantity 63
Answers and Explanations 64
Chapter 5 Introciucing Letters: Algebra 65
Variables: When Letters Represent Numbers 65
Laying out the terms: Variable terms and expressions 66
Let's get together: Combining like terms 66
Multiplying and dividing terms and expressions 67
Combining fractions that have variables 70
When variable values are given 70
Working with Equations 71
Solving for x and other variables 71
Undoing addition and subtraction 72
Undoing multiplication and division 73
Multistep equations 73
Proportions 74
Systems of equations 75
Solving for variables in terms of other variables 77
Solving Inequalities 77
Following two more rules when solving inequalities 78
Graphing inequalities 79
Describing solution steps 80
Factoring in Algebra 81
Factoring terms out of bigger terms 81
Using reverse FOIL 81
Decoding Algebra Word Problems 83
Translating English into mathematical language 83
Algebraic word problems 84
Thinking Outside the Algebra Box 85
Recognizing relational patterns 85
Algebraic reasoning 85
Practice Questions about Algebra 87
Answers and Explanations 88
Chapter 6 Grasping Geometry Concepts 91
Understanding the Building Blocks of Geometry 91
Getting to the point 92
Defining lines and parts of lines 92
Moving along planes in space 92
Getting the right angles on angles 93
Recognizing congruence 94
Understanding Angle Measures and Relationships 94
Distinguishing degrees of angle measure and naming angles 94
Working with angle relationships 95
Knowing Common Shapes and Their Basic Properties 97
Defining polygons in general 97
Analyzing triangles: Three-sided polygons 98
Identifying facts about quadrilaterals 100
Working with other types of polygons 101
Knowing the basic facts about circles 101
Working with Shapes that Are Alike 102
Forming conclusions about congruent shapes 102
Working with similar shapes 103
Figuring out Geometric Formulas 104
Finding the perimeter 105
Circling the circumference 105
Getting into the area 106
Finding the right volume 108
Combining Shapes 108
Coming together: Shapes that have joined without an invasion 108
Preparing for invasion: When one shape invades another 109
Knowing the Ways of the XY Coordinate Plane 110
Naming coordinate pairs 110
Identifying linear equations and their graphs 111
Using the distance and midpoint formulas 113
Finding meaning in intersecting graphs 114
Transforming coordinate plane figures 114
Touching on Right Triangles 117
Knowing what Pythagoras discovered 117
Working with special right triangles 118
Practice Questions about Geometry 120
Answers and Explanations 121
Chapter 7 Statistics and Probability 123
Representing Data 123
Tables 124
Bar graphs and line graphs 124
Pie charts 125
Stem-and-leaf plots 127
Box-and-whisker plots 128
Venn diagrams 130
Scrambling around scatter plots 131
Loitering around line plots 132
Analyzing Data 133
Combing through comparisons 133
Homing in on the range 133
Measuring arithmetic mean, median, or mode 133
Looking for outliers 135
Measuring the spread of data 135
Scrutinizing samples for data analysis 136
Interpreting linear models 137
Calculating Probability 138
Determining the likelihood of an event 138
Using complements 138
Pointing Out Scientific Notation Facts 139
Practice Questions about Statistics and Probability 140
Answers and Explanations 142
Chapter 8 Test-Taking Strategies for Core Math 143
Using Helpful Shortcuts 143
Solving equations versus determining what must be solved 144
Using estimation and approximation 145
Using the calculator 145
Identifying calculations you can make in your head 145
The art of guessing as a last resort 146
Working backward 147
Narrowing Down Answer Choices 147
Eliminating obviously wrong answer choices 147
Avoiding the most common wrong answers 148
Tackling the Constructed Response 149
Tips for preparing responses and answering questions 150
Some proper ways of representing answers 150
Avoiding careless errors 151
Part 3 Refining Your Reading Comprehension Skills 153
Chapter 9 Reading Comprehension: Finding Meaning and Identifying Purpose 155
Previewing the Praxis Reading Test 155
Knowing what the test contains 156
Applying a general strategy 156
Mastering Short-Passage Questions 157
Ferreting out the main idea 157
Discerning the author's tone and intent 159
Putting vocabulary in context 160
Looking at Long-Passage Questions 161
Purpose and paraphrase 161
Arguments and support 162
Getting the hang of "If" questions 162
Sample questions for long passages 164
Visual- and Quantitative-Information Questions 166
Rethinking charts and graphs 167
Getting graphs 167
Practice Reading-Comprehension Questions 170
Answers and Explanations 173
Chapter 10 Test-Taking Strategies for Core Reading 177
Which to Read First: The Passage or the Question 177
Examining Strategies for the Various Passages 179
Approaching long and short passages 179
Approaching the paired passages 180
Approaching Questions about Charts and Graphs 181
Eliminating Wrong Answers 182
Part 4 Fine-Tuning Your Writing Skills 183
Chapter 11 Acing the Essay 185
Perusing the Types of Prompts: "Picking a Side" versus "Exploring an Idea" 185
Writing persuasively in the argumentative essay 186
Sticking to the facts in the informative essay 186
Creating a Solid Essay 186
Making an outline: Essential or overrated? 187
Dividing up your essay into sections 187
Don't box yourself in: Theses aren't set in stone 188
Citing the sources 188
Some additional writing pointers 188
Turning a Good Essay into a Great One 188
Adding interesting anecdotes 189
Painting a picture with words 189
Anticipating objections against your position 190
Understanding How the Essay Is Scored 190
Checking Out Some Practice Prompts 191
Prompts for argumentative essays 191
Prompts for informative/explanatory essays 191
Reviewing a Sample Essay 192
Evaluating Your Essay 194
Chapter 12 Giving Grammar a Glance 195
Getting a Grip on the Parts of Speech 195
Finding nouns as subjects and objects 196
Putting verbs to work 196
Using adjectives to describe people, places, and things 199
Calling on adverbs to describe actions and conditions 201
Getting the lowdown on pronouns 201
Considering conjunctions 205
Perusing prepositions 206
Making Sense of Sentence Structure 207
Independent clauses versus everything else 207
The sentence skeleton: Identifying the main subject and verb 208
Run-ons and comma splices 209
Pondering Punctuation 210
Commas 210
Semicolons 212
Apostrophes 213
Misplaced Modifiers 213
Redundancy and Double Negatives 214
Homophones: "They're in there with their bear" 215
Which one has the apostrophe? 215
Spelled and used differently, but sound the same 215
Capitalization: What You Need to Know 216
Practice Questions about Grammar 218
Answers and Explanations 221
Chapter 13 Test-Taking Strategies for Core Writing 225
Knowing the Types of Selected-Response Writing Questions 225
Type 1 Answering usage questions 226
Type 2 Showing your research skills 227
Type 3 Making sentence corrections 228
Type 4 Regarding revision-in-context questions 229
Identifying and Correcting Errors in Selected-Response Items 230
Eliminating the obviously wrong choices 230
Don't be afraid to say it's right the way it is 230
The art of guessing as a last resort 231
A word of advice about trusting your ear 231
Mastering the Essay 231
Part 5 Tackling Praxis Core Practice Tests 233
Chapter 14 Practice Exam 1 235
Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 1 237
Part 1 Reading 239
Part 2 Writing 255
Argumentative Essay 262
Source-Based Essay 263
Part 3 Mathematics 265
Chapter 15 Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations 275
Part 1 Reading 275
Part 2 Writing 291
Argumentative essay 301
Source-based essay 303
Part 3 Mathematics 304
Answer Key 324
Chapter 16 Practice Exam 2 327
Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 2 329
Part 1 Reading 331
Part 2 Writing 345
Argumentative Essay 352
Source-Based Essay 353
Part 3 Mathematics 354
Chapter 17 Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations 365
Part 1 Reading 365
Part 2 Writing 381
Argumentative Essay 391
Source-Based Essay 392
Part 3 Mathematics 393
Answer Key 406
Part 6 The Part of Tens 409
Chapter 18 Ten Common Math Errors to Avoid 411
Misusing Negative Signs 411
Confusing Perimeter and Area 412
Incorrectly Combining Like Terms 412
Messing Up When Moving Decimals 412
Not Solving for the Actual Variable 412
Misrepresenting "Less Than" in Word Problems 413
Mixing Up Supplementary and Complementary Angles 413
Finding a False Median 413
Fearing Fractions 413
Forgetting about Fractions in Formulas 414
Chapter 19 Ten Mistakes to Avoid on the Praxis Reading and Writing Exams 415
Avoiding Mistakes Common to the Writing and Reading Tests 415
Don't look for patterns in the answers 415
Don't change answers merely for the sake of changing them 416
Sidestepping Mistakes on the Writing Test 417
Don't equate different with wrong 417
Don't assume something must be correct just because it sounds fancier or more complex 417
Don't turn the essay into a thesaurus explosion 418
Don't paint yourself into a corner with a rigid thesis 418
Evading Mistakes on the Reading Test 418
Don't rule out the "too obvious" 419
Don't word-match 419
Don't ignore your outside knowledge 419
Don't try to answer more than the question asks you to 420
Index 421
