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Archive for October, 2008

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Make Your TExES Study Guide Come to Life With Visualization

Make It Interactive and You’ll Remember It on the TExES Test

Visualization is a powerful technique to acing the TExES test, but your visualization is weak if you’re just picturing two items together.

A mental image of Isaac Newton next to the word gravity is weak, and doesn’t have a lot of memory power. On the other hand, a mental image of Isaac Newton with an apple labeled “gravity” dropping from the tree onto his head is much more compelling.

So, when you prepare for the TExES test using visualization, make sure you get some action involved.

  • Instead of a dog with a broom picture a dog sweeping a room

  • Instead of picturing a two words, picture two train-cars colliding

    Vivid Visuals Make TExES Test Content Memorable

    If you’re creating a visualization for your TExES test, it’ll be more memorable and functional if you make it as vivid as possible. Make the images crystal clear and full of bright, vivid colors.

    Be specific. If a ship is a part of your mental image, what kind of ship is it? Is it a WWII battleship or a cruise ship? Are the seas stormy or calm? Get all the detail you can into your mental image and it’ll be much more memorable.

    Bizarre Images Create Powerful Recall

    Did you know TExES study could be bizarre? Well, it better be if you want to make it easy to recall all that information.

    Studies show that visualizations are easier to remember if they’re a bit bizarre.

    So, when you’re studying for the TExES test and need a good visual to lock in some information, make it a bit unusual. For example, a ship sailing the ocean is plausible. A ship sailing through chocolate pudding, on the other hand, is bizarre.

    Want to remember who was instrumental in starting fire protection in Philadelphia? Picture Ben Franklin riding atop a fire truck and ringing the liberty bell which has been mounted to the front of the truck. Now that’s bizarre.

    There are a lot of ways to incorporate visualization into your study for the TExES test. But one thing’s for certain. You’ll be more apt to remember all that stuff you have to remember if you use visualization as a part of your preparation.

    You can find more about memory techniques and a ton of other stuff in our TExES study guide. It’s the most comprehensive TExES study guide you’ll find.

    • Tuesday, October 21, 2008

    The Art to Getting Praxis II Content Locked in Your Mind

    Praxis II Test Content Must Make Sense

    Have you ever tried to memorize something without really understanding it? Then, you know the very first key to getting information locked in your mind is to understand the material.

    If you come across something you don’t understand in your Praxis II study, stop. Jot a note about it on a yellow pad or another word document. Then continue study things you do understand.

    Take all those items you didn’t understand and find someone who does understand them. Ask them for a few minutes of their time and get them to help you get a grasp on the concept.

    Get Your Praxis II Facts Organized

    Try to memorize a list of key historical figures. It can be difficult. Putting them in chronological order can help. But what if you put them in alphabetical order? It might be just the trigger your mind needs, so you can recall them when you need them.

    There are any number of ways you can organize your Praxis II study material:

  • Alphabetical

  • Chronological

  • Series

    Sometimes the most obvious way to organize the material isn’t the best way to remember it. Try some different ways of organizing your Praxis II test material and see if a new way of organizing it helps.

    Use the Power of Association

    Which is easier to draw, an outline of Italy or an outline of Luxembourg? Most of us would have trouble drawing Luxembourg. But almost everyone can get close when drawing Italy. Because our minds associate it with a boot. Use this technique in your Praxis II study and you’ll make memorization much easier.

    When you’re studying for your Praxis II test, find ways to associate as much as possible. Is a 1015 a key date in history? Or is it your father’s birthdate (10/15)? Is 5,280 the number of feet in a mile, or the price of the new shoes for your feet ($52.80).

    Visualization Makes Praxis II Study a Snap

    Concrete things are easier to memorize than abstract, so use visualization when you’re studying for the Praxis II test. In essence, visualization takes what’s abstract and makes it concrete.

    For example, you probably used the children’s rhyme to learn that “in fourteen-hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” But what if you pictured a man standing on the deck of a ship. His plumed hat and cute tights give away who he is, but under one arm he has the number 14 and under the other the number 92.

    That’s visualization. In a split second you accomplish what the children’s rhyme took several seconds to do.

    There are lots of ways you can get Praxis II test material locked into your mind. We’ve summarized the most effective in our Praxis II study guide. Find out for yourself what a good Praxis II study guide can do to boost your score on the Praxis II test.

    • Tuesday, October 21, 2008

    Score Big on Praxis II Essay Questions

    Memorizing Key Facts is Just the Beginning

    Memorization is a must when studying for any test and that includes your Praxis II study. You just can’t avoid the fact that you’ll need to memorize some stuff. There are, of course, ways to memorize that are much easier than hammering concepts in with simple repetition.

  • Associate It With Something

  • Visualize an Image for an Abstract Concept

  • Organize Facts Effectively

  • Make Sure You Understand Before Memorizing

    Most people think that it’s the test-takers that can run-on at the mouth that do the best on Praxis II essay questions. That’s not true. It’s the ones who fit all the important facts into their essay that score the highest.

    Praxis II Essay Questions Require Organization

    The first thing you do when facing an essay question on the Praxis II test is to make a list of all the relevant fact you want to put in your answer. There’s a pattern to the answers, and the administrator of the test will be looking for the content that fills this pattern. So, you need to make sure all the key information is in your answer.

    Don’t forget that whoever is administering the test doesn’t want to spend any more time reading essay answers than necessary. Make your answers packed full of information and use as few extra words as possible to make your argument. You’ll make the administrator’s job much easier and lean them to your good side.

    The process of organizing your Praxis II test essay responses is too deep to cover well in this article, but
    get a really good Praxis II study guide and you’ll do much better on the Praxis II essay questions.

    Practice Makes the Praxis II Test Simple

    I know this sounds simplistic, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t use this advice when preparing for the Praxis II test. Simply practicing the process of answering essay questions will put you ahead of 99.9% of the others taking the test.
    How do you practice for an essay test?

  • Have a friend ask you questions
  • Write a brief summary of key concepts
  • Find a formula or bulleted list and write a paragraph about it

    If you can take a bulleted list from a text and write it out in prose, you can write an essay answer. You’ll get some good practice for taking key points and putting them together in a well-designed argument or explanation.

    Of course, this is just a quick glance at some of the ideas that make it easy for you to ace the essay questions on the Praxis II test. If you really want to nail the essay questions on your Praxis II test, you’ll need a comprehensive Praxis II study guide. Get one and get well-prepared for the biggest test of your life.

    • Tuesday, October 21, 2008

    Overcoming Physical Blocks to TExES Study

    If you want your mind to be in top shape for the TExES test, make sure you’re feeding it healthy stuff. I’m not suggesting you have to cut out everything you like to eat, but make sure you moderate it.

    If you eat mostly meat, make sure you eat some vegetables. I know, you hate vegetables, but your mind needs a balanced diet to be at it’s best.

    So, instead of making yourself two huge greasy burgers, break up those burgers and fry them with some very green vegetables. Dress it up with some spices and you might just find a dish you like. And it will do wonders for making your mind sharp and clear for the big TExES test.

    If you really can’t stand to eat foods that will balance your diet, at least supplement it with vitamins and minerals. You can get pills or even flavored powders you mix with water. The point is, when you’re studying for the TExES test give your body the boost it needs and it’ll reward you.

    You have to overcome these blocks to memory if you want to be your best on the TExES test.

    I certainly don’t have time to cover them all here. Get your mind and body prepared for the TExES now!

    Tuesday, October 21, 2008

    Remove Roadblocks to Maximize TExES Study Guides

    Emotional Blocks Can Beat You at Your TExES Study

    You may not think it’s possible, but you can have emotional blocks to memory.

    Stress is the biggest emotional block to preparing for your TExES test. It’s understandable that you get stressed over the test. It’s probably the biggest test you’ll ever take. And some stress is good. If you aren’t stressed at all over the test, you just don’t realize how important this test is.

    However, you don’t want to get too stressed by it. If you let the stress build too much, you’ll find that you have trouble remembering the things you need to know for the test. You’ll probably also forget all the tips and tricks you learned from your TExES study guide. You are getting a TExES study guide to help you prepare right?

    Mechanical Blocks That Derail Your TExES Test Prep

    Distractions can be a huge mechanical block. TExES study time rolls around and you sit down to work, but the coffee in the other room smells so good. So, you go get a cup and sit down again. The sun is trying to stream through the window, but the blinds are closed. You decide that the room looks gloomy and open the blinds to let the sun come in. Now the sunny day outside draws your attention out the window.

    You know the routine. You’ve probably dealt with distractions like this for every test you’ve taken. But the TExES test isn’t just any test. Your future income level and choice of jobs is on the line.

    Get rid of the distractions that hamper your ability to soak in the material. There are many ways to do this.

  • Shut off your phone

  • Hang a sign announcing your TExES study on the door

  • Find a hole in the library where no one will find you

  • Refuse to check your email

    I certainly don’t have time to cover them all here. But any any good TExES study guide will give you great ideas for removing mechanical blocks to your TExES study.

    • Tuesday, October 21, 2008

    How To Write Your RICA Essay:

    We have a quick partial preview of our winning RICA Essay Formula. You need to consistently execute this formula without spending too much time on any one question. The essay questions on the RICA will give you a scenario of a classroom situation. You will need to show you can apply your knowledge. The key to cracking the code of the RICA essay is answer the following questions:The word PASS (P.A.S.) will successfully answer your RICA essay questions.
    (Believe me, this works.)


    1.) P. List the POSITIVES or strengths given a classroom scenario of the essay question.


    2.) A. ASSESS the needs of the student(s), write a list of dominant needs.


    3.) S. Explain the STRATEGY you will use to address the student’s needs.


    Number one: list the strengths of the students (e.g. can read some sight words, have an interest in reading).


    Number two: write the needs of the students. What reading strategies/ skills are they lacking (e.g. phonics skills on an automatic level to promote fluency and comfort with reading)?


    Number three: write one appropriate teaching strategy for teaching the student(s) based on the needs you identified (e.g. create activity centers that provide practice in phonics skills and previously taught generalizations, choral reading).


    Use this method to answer essay questions. Remember, one good strategy based on a dominant need of the students will be sufficient. Don’t just say “teach the students S.Q.3R. to promote the reading comprehension of the sixth grade class.” Describe how you would go about teaching S.Q.3R. Show you know what this strategy is and how to apply it. The RICA is heavy on testing your ability to apply knowledge.


    (All the test tips and full details are in the RICA Comprehensive Study Systems.)

    RICA test help, RICA study guide