ETS: You suck!

For those of you who might not know who ETS is, they are Educational Testing Services. They provide you with the SAT and PSATs which you take in high school. They also offer the GRE, PRAXIS (which is my test), and many other tests that professionals need in the Education Field. They’re really great people, and let it be said I have no problem with them personally, I just have a problem with their tests in general. I’m very anti-test, and if I have a choice to give a paper or final project when I’m a teacher, instead of a test, I will definitely do so.

So, without further ado…my PRAXIS test results:
English Content Knowledge Multiple Choice: 166 - FAILED BY 6 POINTS. I needed a 172.
English Content Knowledge Essays: 165 - PASSED AND WENT FARTHER! I only needed a 160!

In November I’ll be taking the Multiple Choice test again, for another 100something dollars. But at least I’m not taking them both, right? I probably would have felt better if I had just bombed it instead of failing my 6 DARN POINTS…6!! Personally, I think being able to write four amazing essays in only 2 hours proves that I’ll be a good teacher, rather than a multiple choice test.

How do you feel about tests? What ones have you taken?

  1. I hate tests. They are so damn boring. I actually almost fell asleep one time during a test. I’ve taken the ISTEP test in elementsry school and the GQE in highschool. I don’t think I passed it, but it doesn’t matter now, since I ended up dropping out anyway.. That was 9yrs ago…

    Vanessa

  2. Grr. I hate tests and exams. I never do as well in them as I feel like I should, or like I have in essays and presentations. :/

    Holly

  3. Ooh, that sucks. I hate tests! Hate ‘em. I mean, I’m great under pressure, but it’s a totally different atmosphere. Nothing at all like the real world. I don’t think anyone should be judged (or have to pay!) on one single sit down session.

    Let’s put it this way. I showed up to my SATs in high school totally baked and still drunk from the night before, and I scored a 1480! Tests are a great concept, but they’re crap in the real world.

    Jennifer

  4. Sorry to hear that you failed the one test. I know how frustrating it can be. I failed my final exam for one of my classes last semester by 3%. It really irritated me. I’d rather have scored 10% on the damn thing, that 47%. I hate tests & exams, because I get so nervous about them, that I choke. I can know 100% of the material, and still fail, because I forget everything as soon as I walk into the test room.

    Bella

  5. I hate standardized tests. I passionately do. So far, I’ve done well in all the ones that have mattered but I’ve had friends who haven’t done so well because they weren’t feeling well during the day of the test, get nervous in such test settings, etc. and these people are more than sufficiently smart to do whatever the test is supposed to be testing them on. Sorry that you failed… hopefully you’ll do a lot better in the next one.

    Felisa

  6. That sucks that you failed one of the tests! I would feel better about those stupid tests if you didn’t have to pay to take them. I think that’s silly. At least now you have an idea about what is going to be on the test. Good luck next time!

    I feel that tests have a time and place, but you shouldn’t use them for every evaluation that needs to be done. There are much more fun and effective ways to find out what your students have learned.

    Deanna

  7. Ah bah!!! Yeah that would irritate the crap out of me to fail only by a few points! I agree that it’s DUMB to have to pay for those tests… I want to wish you the best of luck with it all *hugs*

    Shellie

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