Think Like a Test Maker ESOL/ESL Digital Study Guide

What does the Think Like a Test Maker ESOL study guide consist of?

This study guide will help you pass many ESOL/ESL teacher certification exams and is aligned to the following tests:

• Praxis ESOL 5362
• TExES ESL 154
• MTEL ESL 54

With over 300 practice test questions and detailed answer explanations, this study guide is all you need for any ESOL/ESL test.

This study guide includes:

• Detailed sections for every content area of the exam, so you understand everything covered on the test.
• 10 practice test questions after each objective, so you can practice the specific skills for each type of test question you’ll see on the exam.
• Detailed answer explanations for every test question in the study guide, so you know exactly why you answered correctly or incorrectly.
• Multiple scenarios and explanations similar to the ones you will see on the exam, so you are prepared for complex questions on test day.
• Test tips and strategies specific ESOL and ESL exams used all over the country, so you can think like a test maker and pass your first time.
• A Good Words List to reference, so you can quickly identify the correct answers and eliminate incorrect answers.
• Reference pages for even more information.
• Constructed response practice, so if your state requires it, you are prepared for the writing.

Teacher certification exams in this area can be quite complicated. Not only will you have to understand how to teach students whose first language is not English, but you will also have to understand fundamental reading and writing skills students need to be considered proficient. Therefore, it is very important that you take the time to prepare properly for this exam.

In addition, ESOL/ESL certification exams are scenario based, meaning you will have to read situational questions and identify best practices. If you are new to teaching, this can be very challenging.

It is difficult to predict exactly how many questions you must get correct to pass standardized test because a scale score is used rather than a raw score. This means that your raw score–how many you got correct–is put into a formula to calculate a scale score.

To keep things simple, we recommend scoring at least a 75% on the practice tests before you go in to take the exam. Getting 75% of the questions correct when you practice indicates you are ready to take the actual test.

While our study guide is aligned with the test, it is against testing policy to share items on the actual exam. State tests are secure, standardized, and heavily regulated.

There are hundreds of test questions in the item banks for each exam. When you take the exam, your version of the test will be different from other versions and will have questions randomly pulled from the item banks. This ensures test security, validity, and reliability. Trying to memorize what you think will be on your test is an exercise in futility. Instead, you should study the skills and content outlined in the specifications and blueprint of the exam.

Everything in our study guide is aligned with the test specifications and blueprint for the exam. That way, you can review how the test is designed and what skills are assessed. The questions in our study guide are structured similarly to what you will encounter on test day, but they are not the same exact questions on the real exam.

Obviously, we believe our study guide is the very best resource you can purchase to prepare for your ESOL/ESL test. The guide is sectioned out by content categories, and within those categories, we’ve aligned all of the information to the test specifications and blueprint. This ensures you are studying what you will see on test day–nothing more, nothing less.

In each section, there are practice items that align specifically with the skills you just studied, so you can see exactly what a question for that skill or content will be like on test day. In addition, we have detailed answer explanations for every question in our study guide.

The constructed-response section writing prompts for you to practice with. We also include example essays you can reference and see what a thorough and complete essay looks like.

The study guide is an amazing resource to help you pass your test. However, you might need more support in one or more areas. In that case, we have an ESL/ESOL online course, which has video tutorials and extra practice. It also includes a digital study guide.

Yes. There are two full-length practice tests at the end of the study guide with detailed answer explanations. In addition, there is a constructed-response section that covers those questions if your test requires you to write for the exam. All practice test questions are sorted by skill and category, so you know exactly what questions go with each part of the exam.

People have a range of skill levels when it comes to this test, so it is difficult for us to tell you exactly how long you need to study. Because this test covers an expansive amount of content, we recommend short, incremental practice over time. This is much better than cramming all your studying into one or two weekends. Using 20-30-minute study sessions over a 2-3 week period is ideal.

If your test has a constructed response section, we also recommend you spend some time practicing your writing skills for this test.

Most ESL/ESOL teacher certification exams test the same skills and content. Therefore, we decided to write one guide that covers it all. This study guide will help you pass any ESL/ESOL teacher certification exam.