Section 2: How to Prepare for the Exams

This section of the preparation manual provides information to help you prepare to take the TExES exams.

Learn What the Exam Covers

You may have heard that there are several different versions of the same exam. It's true. You may take one version of the exam and your friend may take a different version. Each exam has different questions covering the same subject area, but both versions of the exam measure the same skills and content knowledge.

You'll find specific information on the exam you're taking in the Overview and Exam Framework section of the preparation manual, which outlines the content areas that the exam measures and what percentage of the exam covers each area.

Begin by reviewing the preparation manual for your exam in its entirety, paying particular attention to the content specifications. The content specifications detail the knowledge and skills to be measured on the exam. The Educator Standards section of the prep manual lists the standards necessary for a teacher of that subject.

Once you have reviewed the preparation manual and the standards, you can create your own personalized study plan and schedule based on your individual needs and how much time you have before exam day. Be sure to also seek other resources to strengthen your content knowledge.

Keep in mind that study habits are individual. There are many different ways to successfully prepare for your exam. Some people study better on their own, while others prefer a group setting. You may have more energy early in the day, but another test taker may concentrate better in the evening. Use this guide to develop the approach that works best for you.

Assess How Well You Know the Content

Use your review of the competencies to focus your study time on those areas containing knowledge and skills with which you are less familiar. You should leave yourself time to review the content of all domains and competencies, both the familiar and the less familiar ones, but the focus of your preparation time and priority in your studying should be placed upon those areas about which you are least confident.

Think carefully about how well you know each area; research shows that test takers tend to overestimate their preparedness. People often glance at the specifications, or at the exam questions (with "a peek" at the answers at the same time), and think that they know the content of the exam. This is why some test takers assume they did well and then are surprised to find out they did not pass.

The exams are demanding enough to require serious review. The longer you've been away from the content the more preparation you will most likely need. If it has been longer than a few months since you've studied your content area, make a concerted effort to prepare. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose from such an approach.

Familiarize Yourself with the Different Types of Exam Questions

The TExES exams include several types of exam questions, which can be broken into two categories: selected response (multiple choice) and constructed response (for which you write or record a response of your own that is scored by trained raters based on scoring guidelines). You may be familiar with these question formats from taking other standardized tests. If not, familiarize yourself with them so you don't spend time during the exam figuring out how to answer them.

How to Approach Unfamiliar Question Formats

Some questions include introductory information such as a table, graph, or reading passage (often called a stimulus) that provides the information the question asks for. New formats for presenting information are developed from time to time. Exams may include audio and video stimulus materials, such as a movie clip or some kind of animation, instead of a map or reading passage.

Exams may also include interactive types of questions. These questions take advantage of technology to assess knowledge and skills that go beyond what can be assessed using standard single-selection selected-response questions. If you see a format you are not familiar with, read the directions carefully. The directions always give clear instructions on how you are expected to respond.

For most questions, you will respond by clicking an oval to choose a single answer choice from a list of options. Other questions may ask you to respond by:

Remember that with every question, you will get clear instructions on how to respond.

Approaches to Answering Selected-Response Questions

The information below describes some selected-response question formats that you will typically see on TExES exams and suggests possible ways to approach thinking about and answering them. These approaches are intended to supplement and complement familiar test-taking strategies with which you may already be comfortable and that work for you. Fundamentally, the most important component in ensuring your success is familiarity with the content that is covered on the exam. This content has been carefully selected to align with the knowledge required to begin a career as a teacher in the state of Texas.

The questions on each exam are designed to assess your knowledge of the content described in the competencies of each exam. In most cases, you are expected to demonstrate more than just your ability to recall factual information. You may be asked to think critically about the information, to analyze it, to compare it with other knowledge you have, or to make a judgment about it.

Be sure to read the directions carefully to ensure that you know what is required for each exam question. Leave no questions unanswered. Your score will be determined by the number of questions you answer correctly.

Question Formats

You may see the following types of selected-response questions on the exam:

  • Single Questions
  • Questions with Stimulus Materials

Below you will find descriptions of these commonly used question formats, along with suggested approaches for responding to each type.

Single Questions

Many questions on this exam are simply discrete questions that do not involve referencing any material other than that presented as part of the question itself. Be sure to consider each question in terms of only the information provided in the question—not in terms of specific situations or individuals you may have encountered.

Questions on Latin Language

The first 28 questions in Section II of the exam are based on various grammatical structures in Latin and also include questions about translating parts of Latin texts. These questions are divided into four parts. Each part presents a distinct type of question, each of which is illustrated below. Before each question, the directions for that type of question are included as they will appear in the exam.

Example 1 — Part A: Grammar

For each question in this group, choose the one most appropriate response.

Keeping the same gender, the genitive plural of minimae is

  1. minimārum
  2. minimīs
  3. minimae
  4. minimās
Suggested Approach

Example 1 measures knowledge of the grammatical forms of a particular Latin word, in this case the adjective minimus. You are asked to select the genitive plural of this adjective in the same gender as the form given in the question: minimae. Because minimae is feminine, the correct answer is A. Option B is the dative/ablative plural of all genders of the adjective, option C is the nominative plural or genitive singular and option D is the accusative plural feminine.

Example 2 — Part B: Completions

For each question in this group, choose the Latin word that best completes the sentence.

Agricola puerō per agrum blank line dīxit patrem advēnisse.

  1. currentēs
  2. currentibus
  3. currentī
  4. currente
Suggested Approach

Example 2 requires, first of all, an understanding of the gist of the sentence in order to see that puerō is the indirect object of dīxit and is dative singular, rather than nominative plural. Once this is understood, option A can be eliminated, since it is a plural form, either nominative or accusative plural. Option B is also incorrect because it is a plural form. Option D is singular, but it is in the ablative case. The correct answer is option C, the dative singular form of the present participle, modifying the dative singular word puerō.

Example 3 — Part C: Substitutions

For each Latin sentence in this group, choose the one word or phrase that, when substituted for the underlined word or phrase, best keeps the meaning of the original sentence.

Currere possum celerius start underline frātre meō end underline.

  1. start underline ad frātrem meum end underline
  2. start underline frātrī meō end underline
  3. start underline quam frāter meus end underline
  4. start underline sīcut frāter meus end underline
Suggested Approach

Example 3 measures knowledge of the syntax of comparative adjectives and adverbs (in this case the adverb celerius) by asking you to select the option that represents the alternate wording that comes closest to expressing the same meaning as the underlined portion of the sentence. Comparison may be expressed in Latin either by using the ablative case of the second noun in the comparison (in this case frātre meō) or by using quam and having both parts of the comparison in the same case. Here, the first part of the comparison is the understood subject of possum; if the subject were expressed it would be ego, and therefore in the nominative case, so frāter meus must also be in the nominative. Option C is therefore the correct answer. Option B, the dative case, would not create a well-formed Latin sentence if used with the rest of this sentence. Either option A or option D might result in a well-formed Latin sentence, but the meaning in either case would be very different from the meaning of the underlined words.

Example 4 — Part D: Translations

Choose the best translation for the underlined Latin or English text.

Sī magister puerōs vīdisset, start underline domum eōs mīsisset end underline.

  1. he would have sent them home
  2. they would have been sent home
  3. he would have sent home for them
  4. they would have sent him home
Suggested Approach

Example 4 measures your ability to translate Latin sentences by asking you to select the option that represents the best translation of the underlined portion of the sentence. Options B and D are incorrect because they interpret the third person singular verb mīsisset as having a plural subject. Option C misinterprets the use of domum and treats the accusative plural eōs as if it were an indirect object. The correct answer is option A. It correctly translates the subject of mīsisset as singular, eōs as the direct object of mīsisset and domum as the place to which the teacher is sending the boys. Notice that although the sentence is a contrary to fact condition, the question does not actually test knowledge of the translation of conditionals, since all four options handle the contrary-to-fact nature of the sentence, and its time reference, correctly. Instead, the focus of the question is on number agreement between subjects and verbs and the translation of the accusative of direction.

Questions on Roman Culture

The 23 questions in Section II that follow the questions on Latin language test your knowledge of various aspects of Roman history and culture, including both Roman ideas and beliefs and the physical context of Roman life, the history of the Latin language and Roman writing, and Roman mythology together with the corresponding Greek myths.

Example 1 — Mythology

For each question in this group, choose the one most appropriate response.

Which of the following is the Roman deity corresponding to the Greek god Poseidon?

  1. Neptune
  2. Jupiter
  3. Mars
  4. Vulcan
Suggested Approach

For the questions about Roman culture there is typically no indirect path to the correct answer and no reasoning from rules as in the previous examples. The questions require knowledge about the various broad topics included in Domain III. In this question, the subject area is Greek and Roman mythology and religion. Most Greek gods and goddesses had counterparts with different names among the Romans. This question is about the god of the sea, Poseidon to the Greeks and Neptune to the Romans, so the correct answer is A.

Questions with Stimulus Materials

The final 50 questions in the selected-response section are based on ten Latin passages. Each passage is an authentic selection from either an author of the period of the Republic or the Empire, or in some cases an author who wrote later, in either the late Roman or the medieval period. Five of the passages in each exam will be prose, and five will be poetry.

You will be asked to respond to five selected-response questions based on each passage presented to you in the exam. You will be able to refer to the passage as you answer the questions.

You can use several different approaches to respond to these types of questions. Some commonly used approaches for reading and listening comprehension are listed below.

Strategy 1 For reading comprehension, skim the stimulus material to understand its purpose, its arrangement, and/or its content. Then read the question and refer again to the stimulus material to verify the correct answer.
Strategy 2 For reading comprehension, skim the question before considering the stimulus material. The content of the question will help you identify the purpose of the stimulus material and locate the information you need to respond to the question.
Strategy 3 For reading comprehension, use a combination of both strategies; apply the "read the stimulus first" strategy with shorter, more familiar stimuli and the "skim the question first" strategy with longer, more complex or less familiar stimuli. You can experiment with the sample questions in this manual and then use the strategy with which you are most comfortable when you take the actual exam.

For reading comprehension, whether you read the stimulus before or after you read the question, you should read it carefully and critically.

Example — Latin Passage with Questions

Phaedrus Presents a Fable from Aesop about a Crow among Peacocks

1tumeō, -ēre, -uī: swell, puff up
2grāculus, -ī, m.: jackdaw, crow
3pāvō, -ōnis, m.: peacock
4fugō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum: chase, pursue
5rostrum, -ī, n.: beak, bill
6mulcō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum: beat up, beat
7maereō, -ēre: be sad, grieve
8contumēlia, -ae, f.: rough treatment

1. In line 2, quae refers to which of the following?

  1. grāculus (line 1)
  2. superbiā (line 1)
  3. pinnās (line 2)
  4. pāvōnī (line 2)

2. The form of redīre (line 7) depends on which of the following?

  1. mulcātus (line 6)
  2. maerēns (line 7)
  3. coepit (line 7)
  4. repulsus (line 8)

3. What do we learn from the words Tum quīdam ... calamitās (lines 9–13)?

  1. The crow is told that he would have avoided suffering if he had been content with his natural lot in life.
  2. The crow is told that he has unnecessarily brought pain and suffering on his fellow crows.
  3. The crow complains to his fellow crows about the pain and suffering he has experienced.
  4. The crow admits to his fellow crows that he would have avoided causing them suffering if he had been content with his natural lot in life.
Suggested Approach — Questions Based on Passages

First, notice that each passage will have a "lead line" included above the passage. These lead lines are provided to help you "get started" with each passage. They are not intended to identify the correct answer to any of the questions. You are not expected to be familiar with any of the passages, although you may have seen some of them before. Notice also that certain words in the passage are footnoted, and the footnotes below the passage give information about the form of the words and their meanings. The words whose meanings are provided are ones that the committee choosing these passages felt candidates taking this test should be informed about in this way.

Notice as well that each question contains line references to help you locate the words in the passage that are relevant to the question. For example, Question 1 is about the word quae which appears in line 2, and the answer choices for this question all are marked as appearing in either line 1 or line 2 of the passage. Question 3 asks about the text of the final five lines of the passage (lines 9–13). The answer choices for this question are all English statements about information contained in these lines and therefore do not have any line references.

Question 1 asks which word in the passage quae refers to. Questions that use the phrase "refers to" are typically asking about pronouns: personal, demonstrative, relative or interrogative. Although "refers to" is the standard phrasing used in questions of this type in this test, you may also understand that such a question is asking about the "antecedent" of the pronoun. You should be able to rule out the possibility that quae is an interrogative pronoun here, because there is no question involved in the text at this point. This means it must be a relative pronoun. Next, you should consider what possible case, number and gender quae could be. As a relative pronoun, it could be nominative feminine singular, nominative feminine plural, nominative neuter plural or accusative neuter plural. The noun referred to by quae must therefore be either feminine or neuter. You can rule out options A and D at this point because both of those nouns are masculine. Both options B (superbiā) and C (pinnās) are feminine, so you can conclude that quae is feminine. This means it must be nominative and could be either singular or plural. As a nominative, it has to be the subject of either dēciderant or sustulit. However, there is already a nominative singular noun present (grāculus) that is most likely the subject of sustulit. The word order also suggests that quae is part of the clause containing dēciderant, so you can conclude that it is the subject of this verb. As a feminine plural, it must refer to a feminine plural word (though it does not have to agree in case). The only feminine plural word in the sentence is pinnās. The meaning of this short stretch of text is thus ". . . feathers which had fallen from a peacock . . ." and the correct answer is C.

Question 2 asks which word in the passage redīre "depends on." This phrase "depends on" is also a very commonly used phrasing in questions in this test. It is used when the question is about the grammatical reason for choosing either a particular case of a noun or a particular form of a verb, as here. Here, neither mulcātus nor repulsus is a form of a verb that typically "takes" an indirect statement or a complementary infinitive, so these two options can be ruled out relatively quickly. While it is possible for maerēns to occur with an indirect statement ("sad that someone did something"), this would require an accusative noun or pronoun for the subject, and there is no suitable candidate in this sentence. The correct answer is option C, coepit, which you might well see from the outset as a very likely candidate because it means "begin" and normally occurs with a complementary infinitive.

The correct answer for question 3 is A. Notice that the answer choices in this question are not translations of the entire text of the 5 lines mentioned in the questions, nor are they even paraphrases of the lines. They contain selected elements of information that either are, or might plausibly be, in those lines. There are two answer choices in which the crow is the recipient of information and two in which the crow is the speaker ("complains" or "admits"). Here you need to understand the passage well enough to know that the crow tried to turn himself into a fancier bird (a peacock) and got trounced and chased away by the peacocks for his troubles. Now he attempts to return to "his own kind." Line 9 identifies the speaker of the long quotation in lines 10–13 as "one of those whom he had scorned." So it is the crow who is the addressee of the quote. This eliminates options C and D. The whole quote is a contrary-to-fact conditional, something that you can recognize by the presence of the pluperfect and imperfect subjunctives in the two parts of the sentence. The implied subject of all the verbs is grāculus, referring to the crow, whose unwillingness to accept his natural lot is described in the sī clause ("if you had been content . . ."), with the sufferings he would not have experienced ("you wouldn't have experienced, etc. . . . ") in the conclusion. Both the conditional structure of A and the actual sense of the words make it the correct choice.

As you consider these explanations, be aware that if you start by reading through the passage, you may find that by using your knowledge of Latin along with the assistance of the lead line and the highlighted words, you do not need to go through such a process of conscious reasoning to decide on the correct answers. A conscious reasoning process is not required, but it will often be helpful if you do not quickly understand the Latin.

Pronunciation Tasks

For the Pronunciation section of the exam, you will be asked to read aloud 15 texts, each of which includes an English direction a teacher might use in the classroom when asking a student for the meaning of a Latin word, phrase, or sentence, followed by a Latin word, phrase, or sentence for which the student is being directed to give the meaning. You will be directed to read the entire English direction and the Latin that accompanies it. You will be scored only on your pronunciation of the Latin in the task; however, you must read and complete both the entire English direction and the Latin to receive credit for your answer. You will have time to consider and prepare for the task. Following the preparation time, you will be prompted to read the text aloud. The time allowed for the response will appear on the screen. You may choose to make notes to prepare your response on erasable sheets; however, you will be scored only on your recorded oral response. You will have time to record the text of the English and Latin more than once if you believe you made an error that you wish to correct, but you will be scored on your last complete response (a complete response must include both the English direction and the Latin). When the time provided for the response to a Pronunciation task elapses you may not return to that task. You may not use any reference materials during the exam.

Gather Study Materials

For all content areas, think about where you might be able to obtain materials for review:

Do you know a teacher or professor who can help you organize your study? Would a study group suit you and help you maintain momentum? People have different study methods that work for them — use whatever you know that works for you.

Preparation manuals are available for all Texas educator certification program exams. Each prep manual provides a combination of exam preparation and practice, including sample questions and answers with explanations. You can also find informational tutorials and interactive practice exams for some fields.

Plan and Organize Your Time

You can begin to plan and organize your time while you are still collecting materials. Allow yourself plenty of review time to avoid cramming new material at the end. Here are a few tips:

Develop Your Study Plan

A study plan provides a roadmap to prepare for the exams. It can help you understand what skills and knowledge are covered on the exam and where to focus your attention. A study plan worksheet is available on the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program website. You can use this worksheet to:

  1. Define Content Areas: List the most important content areas for your exam as defined in the preparation manual.
  2. Determine Strengths and Weaknesses: Identify where you have thorough understanding and where you need additional study in each content area.
  3. Identify Resources: Identify the books, courses, and other resources you plan to use to study for each content area.
  4. Study: Create and commit to a schedule that provides for regular study periods.

Practice

Exams with constructed-response questions assess your ability to explain material effectively. As a teacher, you'll need to be able to explain concepts and processes to students in a clear, understandable way. What are the major concepts you will be required to teach? Can you explain them in your own words accurately, completely, and clearly? Practice explaining these concepts to test your ability to effectively explain what you know.

Using Study Materials as Part of a Study Group

People who have a lot of studying to do sometimes find it helpful to form a study group with others who are working toward the same goal. Study groups give members opportunities to ask questions and get detailed answers. In a group, some members usually have a better understanding of certain topics, while others in the group may be better at other topics. As members take turns explaining concepts to each other, everyone builds self-confidence.

If the group encounters a question that none of the members can answer well, the group can go to a teacher or other expert and get answers efficiently. Because study groups schedule regular meetings, members study in a more disciplined fashion. They also gain emotional support. The group should be large enough so that various people can contribute various kinds of knowledge, but small enough so that it stays focused. Often, three to six members is a good size.

Here are some ways to use the preparation manual as part of a study group:

Then plan one or more study sessions based on aspects of the questions on which group members did not perform well. For example, each group member might be responsible for rewriting one paragraph of a response in which someone else did an inadequate job.

Whether you decide to study alone or with a group, remember that the best way to prepare is to have an organized plan. The plan you follow should set goals based on specific topics and skills that you need to learn, and it should commit you to a realistic set of deadlines for meeting these goals. Then you need to discipline yourself to stick with your plan and accomplish your goals on schedule.

Smart Tips for Success

Learn from the experts. Take advantage of these answers to questions you may have and practical tips to help you navigate the exam and make the best use of your time.

Should I guess?

Yes. Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly, with no penalty or subtraction for an incorrect answer. When you don't know the answer to a question, try to eliminate any obviously wrong answers and then guess at the correct one. Try to pace yourself so that you have enough time to carefully consider every question.

Are there trick questions on the exam?

No. There are no hidden meanings or trick wording. All of the questions on the exam ask about subject matter knowledge in a straightforward manner.

Are there answer patterns on the exam?

No. You might have heard this myth: The answers on selected-response exams follow patterns. Another myth is that there will never be more than two questions with the same lettered answer following each other. Neither myth is true. Select the answer you think is correct based on your knowledge of the subject.

Can I write on the erasable sheet(s) I am given?

Yes. You can work out problems or make notes to yourself on the erasable sheet(s) provided to you by the test administrator. You may use your notes in any way that is useful to you, but be sure to enter your final answers on the computer. No credit is given for anything written on the erasable sheet(s).

Tips for Taking the Exam

  1. Skip the questions you find extremely difficult. Rather than trying to answer these on your first pass through the exam, leave them blank and mark them. Pay attention to the time as you answer the rest of the questions on the exam, and try to finish with 10 or 15 minutes remaining so that you can go back over the questions you left blank. Even if you don't know the answer the second time you read the questions, see if you can narrow down the possible answers and then guess.
  2. Keep track of the time. Keep an eye on the timer, and be aware of how much time you have left to complete your exam. You will probably have plenty of time to answer all of the questions, but if you find yourself becoming stuck on one question, you might decide to move on and return to that question later.
  3. Read all of the possible answers before selecting one. Then, reread the question to be sure the answer you have selected really answers the question. Remember, a question that contains a phrase such as "Which of the following does NOT ..." is asking for the one answer that is NOT a correct statement or conclusion.
  4. Check your answers. If you have extra time left over at the end of the exam, look over each question and make sure that you have answered it as you intended. Many test takers make careless mistakes that they could have corrected if they had checked their answers.
  5. Don't worry about your score when you are taking the exam. No one is expected to answer all of the questions correctly. Your score on this exam is not analogous to your score on other similar-looking (but in fact very different!) exams. It doesn't matter on the exams whether you score very high or barely pass. If you meet the minimum passing scores along with any other requirements for obtaining teaching certification, you will receive a license. In other words, what matters is meeting the minimum passing score.
  6. Use your energy to take the exam, not to get angry at it. Getting angry at the exam only increases stress and decreases the likelihood that you will do your best. Highly qualified educators and exam development professionals, all with backgrounds in teaching and educational leadership, worked diligently to make the exam a fair and valid measure of your knowledge and skills. The best thing to do is concentrate on answering the questions.

Do Your Best on Exam Day

You followed your study plan. You are ready for the exam. Now it's time to prepare for exam day.

Plan to end your review a day or two before the actual exam date so you avoid cramming. Take a dry run to the test center so you're sure of the route, traffic conditions, and parking. Most of all, you want to eliminate any unexpected factors that could distract you from your ultimate goal — passing the exam!

On the day of the exam, you should:

You cannot control the testing situation, but you can control yourself. Stay calm. The supervisors are well trained and make every effort to provide uniform testing conditions. You can think of preparing for this exam as training for an athletic event. Once you have trained, prepared, and rested, give it your best effort...and good luck!

Are You Ready?

Review this list to determine if you're ready to take your exam.

If you answered "yes" to the questions above, your preparation has paid off. Now take the exam, do your best, pass it — and begin your teaching career!

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