Art EC-12
Study & Test Strategies

Strategy 1

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I used the online study cards from quizlet.com. rnhttp://quizlet.com/9534071/texes-art-ec-12-flash-cards/rnThey worked the best as they covered a little bit from every area of the test and gave me a good idea of how the test was going to be. rnrnI didn't have much time to prepare for the test so the flash cards helped the most. For everything else I just relied on my education from college. Had I been able to do it over again, I might have tried to get a hold of a college art history textbook and brushed up on that.

Testing Strategy

The test was much easier than I expected. Other than history, which was my weakest area, I did very well. I would recommend the flashcards and make sure you know major areas of art history. Take any practice tests you can find. On questions pertaining to classroom structure, make sure to choose the most student focused answer or the answer that engages all students equally. Other than that, all I can say is employ good test taking strategies and good luck!

Strategy 2

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I have a fine arts degree, but have been out of school for 15 years. The most helpful study material was the TEA Prep Manual, Quizlet, Mometrix Art EC-12, and ExamEdge. The great thing about Quizlet is that you can get the app on your phone or tablet. Take as many practice tests as you can. I took 4 different practice tests; did well on 2, and not so well on 2. The ones I did not do well on had a lot of art history and so I knew what I needed focus on. The ones I did well on, were laid out more like the actual test where there were certain percentages on questions in certain areas of knowledge. The practice tests from Exam Edge that I took were more about Art History. Also. make sure you go through all the Domains and points in the TEA Prep Manual. I think that is the most important. Don't skip any of the Domains.

Testing Strategy

The test was as expected because I knew my strengths were in creating works of art, art education, and aesthetic knowledge. Those combined made up 76% of the test. I passed with a 273. Definitely recheck your work; I ended up rethinking a few questions.

Strategy 3

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I've been out of college for over 20 years, so I needed a major review! Quizlet, Mometrix Art 178, The Annotated Mona Lisa, Barron's AP Art History, Idiots Guide to Photography, A History of European Art video series with William Kloss, and a book on quilting basics were my study materials. Quizlet is very useful, especially if you use the internet to clarify or expand areas of confusion. Quizlet may be enough to get you by, if your background is recent/strong. The required teaching modules from Texas Teachers were also helpful. Fortunately, I had almost finished them all before I took the TExES.

Testing Strategy

The test took about 2.5 hours, and then I reviewed for an additional 30 minutes. The test has some questions that you will know the answer to without looking at the choices, but it will also have a lot of questions that require process of elimination. I left thinking that I knew 60 answers for sure and that I needed to use my best guess for the remaining 40. I ended up passing with a 288. My advice is to be calm and reason through the questions.

Strategy 4

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I have been teaching Art in NY and CA for 20 years, but have not had to take a certificate test since 1996! I took the Practice test by ETS and did extremely well, so I figured I would book the exam and just go for it. Now I see there were more study options that I did not find when I was considering this, and maybe I would have used them since I am the type that normally likes to be over prepared.

Testing Strategy

I was nervous, since the last time I took a test it was on paper, but this was on the computer and I have a history of not reading as well on a computer or tablet like I do with a book or paper. But, I flew through the exam in less than 50 minutes. I took some time to review a few questions that I thought were obscure. There were 2-3 questions I could not have studied for; I did not know two forms of "native" art "Molas" from some island nation (Kuna, I think), some recycled/upcycled art from Africa and another off beat painting. I scored a 285!

Strategy 5

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I spent 3-4 weeks studying with intense studying the last 2 weeks before the test. I had a good foundation & knowledge of creating works of art and their analysis, so my main focus was on the Art history & Education sections. I used "The Annotated Mona Lisa," a book I bought off of Amazon and read it from cover to cover taking notes. I also used an AP book on Art history, along with numerous other books I picked up second hand, to familiarize myself with various works of art. I used YouTube videos to research jewelry making, of which I had limited knowledge. I took the state manual practice test, a practice test at Texas Woman's University twice, and also took a workshop there for the EC-6. The workshop helped A LOT because it explained how to approach the test, questions you did not know, how to reason out the answer from the knowledge base you did possess, and numerous test taking strategies that helped immensely. I highly recommend taking the class if at all possible. It calms test taking nerves way down because you gain a familiarity of what to expect. Also, the practice tests "are" distributed to the University by TEA.

Testing Strategy

I took my time. When I didn't know the answer, I skipped it and made a note. I then went back at the end and looked at the questions I skipped, which were A LOT. I studied and reasoned out what I did and did not know to figure out the correct answer. Sometimes after studying the question long enough, I realized the answer was basically embedded in the question, but that was only a few times. Also, I just relaxed and took my time. I leaned back in my chair, relaxed, and studied every aspect of the questions I didn't know. When I left I was certain I had failed and planned to not be upset, but prepare to take the test again. One week later, I received my score and was shocked that I had passed with a 267. I am still shocked I passed the test. It was not easy. Study, study, study and then take your time on the test. Use all the time they give you and relax.

Strategy 6

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I used Quizlet.com, which was the most helpful. I searched for as many applicable study guides that others made to used the flashcards and quiz's. The TeXes Art EC-12 study quide and quiz is a good insight in how well you know the type of material found on the actual exam and areas of weakness that you may need to improve. I watched random youtube videos as a refresher on how-to's. The videos were somewhat helpful in that I could visualize and recall techniques that were used. From what I read on the other posts I was expecting a lot of questions on jewelry-making techniques and modern art history. I only had one jewelry-related question and it was pretty basic. I recommend brushing up on photography basics, printmaking styles, ceramics, and a little bit of sculpture. It would be good to review basic art elements, like the color wheel and classroom safety and materials. If I were to study differently, I would have done some more compare and contrast of similar art; focusing on aesthetics more than the artists.

Testing Strategy

It was about as difficult as I expected. I used the strategies I described above to narrow down my choices, and even wrote notes down on the supplied scratch paper to make sure I understood what was being asked. I took 3 hours, including reviewing and answering the questions I marked. If I was unsure about an answer, I kept moving ahead to see if any of the next questions would answer the ones on which I was having trouble. I passed; in fact, I did much better than I expected.

Strategy 7

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I used Quizlet.com, which was the most helpful. I searched for as many applicable study guides that others made and used the flashcards and quiz's. The TeXes Art EC-12 study quide and quiz is a good insight in how well you know the type of material found on the actual exam and areas of weakness that you may need to improve. I also watched random youtube videos as a refresher on how-to's. The videos were somewhat helpful in that I could visualize and recall techniques that were used. From what I read on the other posts and by talking to an Art teacher, I was expecting lots of questions on jewelry-making techniques and modern art history. I only had 1 jewelry-related question and it was pretty basic. I would recommend brushing up on photography basics, printmaking styles, ceramics, and a little bit of sculpture. It would be good to review basic art elements, like the color wheel, and classroom safety and materials. If I were to study differently I would have done more compare and contrast of similar art; focusing on aesthetics more than the artists.

Testing Strategy

The exam was a mix of easy, no-brainer questions to 100% guessing. I realized later about 7 of the questions that I had guessed wrong, so don't fret if you find yourself doing the same. I did pass with a score of 261. Just remember that if it's not something you will teach to a beginner, then you most likely won't need to know it for the exam. A lot of questions were in reference to different primary grades and how the students in that particular grade learn art concepts. Brush up on the basics in all areas I mentioned above.

Strategy 8

Submitted by Texas Teachers

Study Strategy

I used the TeXes Art EC-12 Study Secrets Guide, old art history books from college, and Quizlet's vocab flashcards. I also downloaded the framework of the exam from the TeXes-ETS website to see what percentage each area accounted for. "Creating Works of Art" is the highest at 32%. I studied for 2 weeks before the exam and did a major review of everything the day before.

Testing Strategy

The actual test was pretty much what I expected. I thought the "Creating Works of Art" section would be the easiest for me since I have a background in studio art, but it ended the hardest. It was a challenge due to many questions on jewelry-making and printmaking techniques that I didn't study as much and aren't as familiar with. The art education questions were situational, and you have to think of the best way to convey your lesson to the specific age group and always take into account what is best for the students. You will receive a separate exam booklet with various images of artwork (paintings, photographs, sculpture, architecture) and they'll be questions in the test related to deciphering those images. There were so many questions throughout the entire test that I was able to narrow down to 2 answers and then had to make an educated guess. I was nervous about my score after the exam but I passed with a 280. I would really focus on all the art-making techniques and vocabulary related to ALL MEDIUMS and brush up on the overview of art history. Take enough time to study, relax, and you'll do great!

First names only please. This will be displayed publicly.

Back to Top