Study Strategy
I studied for the test using REA's 291 Booklet. I found that I was overwhelmed with all the material in the study booklet, so I went to online community sites to find further information to help me narrow my studies. I studied for about three weeks, about 1 hour a day. The week of my test, I studied each subject for 45 minutes a day, about 4 hours a day. On test day, I went there confident and calm; I didn't even use my 15 minute break.
Testing Strategy
The first portion is ELAR. This was my strongest subject, so it was about what I expected. You should know reading levels (Independent, Instructional and Frustration) and what occurs at each level. You should also know components of phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, strategies to teach fluency and comprehension, best methods/strategies for teaching reading, the alphabetic principle, print, graphemes, morphemes, context clues, syntax and Lexicon. (286/300) The next section is Math. This section was my worst section; I ran out of time and had to guess on the last 8 questions. My advice would be to bubble in any answers you don't know, mark it, and come back to it at the end. I spent too much time on questions I didn't know the answer to and had to guess on questions I knew how to work. (255/300) I believe Social Studies was after that. Social studies was pretty straight forward. Know the amendments (up to 19), what states were union states and what states seceded, causes of wars (Mexican-American, French-Indian , American Revolution, etc), Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Emmett Till, Abraham Lincoln, etc. Know the different types of economies, different types of Governments and how they operate. Also know the major court cases and what the outcome was (Marbury vs. Madison etc)(288/300) Science was okay. Know ecosystems, the rock cycle (mot just the different types of rocks, but how they can change over time /pressure/cementation/erosion), the phases of the moon, and the water cycle. Know structure and functions of plants, genes, punnett squares, learned behaviors and inherited traits. (260/300 ) Last was Fine Arts, which happens to be my least favorite subject. Know about the different types of Art (Expressionism, cubism, etc) and different ways cultures express it. Know balance, lines, and space. For music know timbre, dynamics, Notes, clefs (Treble/bass). Know the different types of music for each culture (Tejano/Blues). P.E was pretty simple. Know loco-motor skills, non-loco-motor skills, manipulative activities, fine and gross motor skills and activities. Know proper ways for teachers to use physical education across content areas. Health was also straight forward; just know your organs and the IR functions. (270/300) This test is not impossible, you just have to study. It is a lot of information, just go in there calm and stay focused. Time goes by so fast, therefore you need to make sure you are focused the entire time. Be okay with not knowing every answer, just mark it and come back to it.