ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Passing TExES Content Tests for Public School Teaching

Updated on August 25, 2016
Source

Teaching in Texas Public Schools

Trying to find a teaching job in Texas can be daunting. Public schools in popular areas, such as Houston, can be particularly competitive. Whether moving through a traditional certification program or an alternative certification route, passing subject content tests is vital to securing a teaching position. Schools are required to employ teachers who meet highly qualified standards, and passing the content test that matches your teaching and certification area demonstrates that a teaching candidate is eligible and qualified to teach a particular subject and grade level. Sometimes, a prospective teacher can get hired with the intent of passing the content tests, but most schools are extremely reluctant to do this, so having that content test on your resume beforehand is very important.

Source

An Overview of the Subject Content Tests

Content tests are available for every subject and grade level. For example, if you want to teach middle school math, you might take the Mathematics 4-8 test (which covers grades 4-8). The tests range in length depending on the content area, but a typical subject-specific test like Mathematics 4-8 or Social Studies 7-12 currently lasts 5 hours with 100 questions (this may change). Your certification program will help you select the appropriate test, but sometimes you are allowed to take multiple contents tests before securing a job, so it is a good idea to take as many as you can in order to become more competitive. The fees vary per test, but the two mentioned about currently require $131.00 upon registration (again, this may change). See “Additional Resources” below for more information.

Registering for Content Tests

Once you gain approval from your certification program, registration is available through cms.texes-ets.org. Plan to register early—at least 1-2 months in advance as seats fill quickly. If you need to take a test sooner than that, you will need to check the seat availability at the places offering the test several times a day in order to jump on a cancellation (particularly in the morning). It can definitely be done, but it is much easier to register ahead of time. Registering online rather than by phone is HIGHLY recommended as you can do it any time of day, do not have to worry about waiting on hold, and you will instantly be able to see new seat openings as they become available.

Source

Preparing to Take a Content Test

Some tips for successfully passing a content test:

  • Try to allow 1-2 months to study depending on your familiarity with the subject.
  • Examine the Preparation Manual provided on the Texas Education Agency website (direct link provided below).
  • The Preparation Manual only provides an outline, so purchase a study guide. Find one with the strongest reviews (such as through Amazon).
  • If you need to get started immediately in order to save time, consider purchasing an e-book instead of a hard copy.
  • Allow enough time to take the practice tests both in the official Preparation Manual and in your study guide. This will highlight potential weaknesses in need of additional study time.
  • For any weak areas, consider supplementing the study guide with a full textbook. In order to save money, see what is available in your local library, particularly in an academic library. Even if you are not allowed to check it out, you can still read through it and take notes in the library.
  • Try to get enough sleep and eat well the morning of the test. Also, scope out the test center beforehand so that you know exactly how to get there and what to expect. Know the test rules ahead of time (which can vary depending on the test center).
  • Bring a sweatshirt or jacket—sometimes test centers are very cold, particularly after sitting for several hours.
  • Remember to bring your admission ticket and identification! The specific requirements are available on cms.texes-ets.org.

Source
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)