Study Strategy
I purchased Social Studies 4-8 off the PassTheTExES website. The information was very useful. It covers what the TEA expects you to know but it doesn’t show how to apply the information into actual questions. So, I went ahead and bought the CertifyTeacher program and found out that it was very helpful because it gives you practice test questions and explanations of why their answer is correct. Also, a piece of advice would be to be aware that this test is about how everything is interrelated. History, Economics, Geography, Government all are connected together. Also, learn each competency and when answering questions always refer to that competency. Also, in competency 6, know what the TEKS covers in grades 4-8. The test will definitely ask something about the TEKS in those grades. When answering questions in competency 7, always look for the answer choice that mostly involves students working together or the one that has the most activity going on.
Testing Strategy
The test is about whether you know how to apply information conceptually. For example, a history question may be about something with geography and culture and it’s up to you whether you know the history related to geography and culture. Just know whether the question is about history, geography, economics, government, or culture and how they relate to each other and you should be ok with the test. I took the test on Monday morning and got the results on Friday early morning with a passing score of 253.