![]() Mathematical understanding deepens when one gets curious and asks “why”-questions. Obviously, shooting for the bare minimum is not a winning strategy in any pursuit. Often these folks just want to know the bare minimum in math to get the job done. These folks simply want to know what to do-”what do I have to do to get the answer to this problem?” Very literal, very practice, very business-like. When folks study math, especially folks who are not very comfortable with math, get stuck in “what”-mode. When you get the real test, you should be able to do just about everything without a calculator, and the fact that you get the onscreen calculator on test day should be a bonus at that point. You will need the practice to develop the problem-solving skills that will allow you to solve these problems without a calculator, and that’s what you need to be practicing. Especially as you do practice problems, force yourself to do the practice without a calculator. Toward this end, don’t touch a calculator anywhere in your life between now and when you take the test. Practice mental math and other problem-solving skills so that you don’t need the calculator. Let’s say your goal should be to use the calculator on no more than 5 questions. On the Core Math test, there are 56 questions. The calculator can be a huge time-sink if you don’t use it carefully. One of the biggest mistakes folks make on the Praxis Core Mathematics Test is to reach for the calculator on virtually every problem. On the Praxis Core Mathematics Test, you get an onscreen calculator, to which you have access throughout the test. In the Magoosh math lessons, I created a few lessons about tricks you can use to make mental math easier, and throughout the lessons, I make clear ways that you can solve problems with mental math. Have a friend or roommate hold a calculator, do calculations on the calculator, and ask you to do the same calculation in your head. Make yourself compute calculations such as (38 + 27) or (91 – 57) or (3 × 19) or (78 ÷ 13). Make yourself add, subtract, multiply, and divide one-digit and two-digit numbers in your head every day. My first math tip is to practice ordinary arithmetic in your head every day. Much as with running, you need to practice every day and get those “math muscles” in shape! Much in the same way, if you ignore math until you have to do on the Praxis Core Math Test, you are not likely to perform at your best. If I don’t do any practice at all, then try to run the marathon, I will in all likelihood hurt myself and not be successful. Suppose I didn’t like running much at all. Suppose I knew that, for some reason, I had to run a marathon in a few months. If you are someone who doesn’t like math, chances are very good that you try to do as little math as possible. This point is so important that I made it the first of my Praxis Study Tips. Here are five points of strategy to keep mind. Now, these good-hearted folks want to pursue a a career in teaching, but-alas!-the ogre of math rises again in the form of one of the Praxis Core tests! Heavens to Murgatroyd! This post is written especially with these anxious math-phobes in mind. Typically, these folks drop math like a hot potato as soon as high school requirements are done, and they blissfully ignore it in college. This is written for the folks who are not lovers of math, for the folks who, if they had a choice, would never do math again. This post not written primarily with those good-at-math folks in mind. Folks in this situation typically don’t need strategies for studying math. You should look over the topics and do a little practice just to make sure that you are familiar with everything that could be asked. If you have studied something quantitative in college, the Praxis Core Mathematics Test probably will not pose much of a challenge. Of course, one of the challenges you will have to face in becoming a teacher is the Praxis Core Mathematics Test. If you want to become a teacher, I think that’s great! I have devoted my life to education, and I think teachers are wonderful people who do extremely important work. # Announcement! As of September 2019, the content of the Praxis Core mathematics test has changed.
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