Multiple choice, or selected response, items are included on most of your teacher certification tests. These items are typically structured so that there is an item stem, or question to which you will respond. They also typically include four answer choices. This is why they are called multiple choice items. These answer choices are usually labeled A., B., C., D. You are usually required to select the best possible answer to the item stem out of the four answer choices.

There are usually two response options that you can eliminate quickly in a selected response item. You are then left with the correct answer and the distractor. A distractor is a response option that makes sense given the item stem, but isn’t the best answer due to a specific detail or context within the item stem. By preparing with Passage Preparation courses, you will be able to identify the correct answers for items in your content area.

The short answer is “the test you have to take”. Learn more about this question in our article What is the Hardest Teaching Certification Test to Pass?

Passage Preparation partners with expert and experienced teachers and teacher educators to examine content covered on state licensing exams closely. Developed by these expert educators, our courses demystify the content and structure of your test and provide you with interactive items and practice assessments aligned to the structure of your test, which help you prepare to recall the content you have mastered and to expertly approach the types of items you will see on the exam. In other words, your subscription to Passage Preparation provides more than just practice tests because we provide a deep and extensive overview of the content you need to know to be successful on your certification exams.

Passage Preparation^TM Practice Assessments

Passage Preparation courses include practice assessments that reflect the structure of your certification test. Our courses include banks of hundreds of test items that mirror your licensure exam test items, so you can take our practice tests multiple times and experience new items, all aligned to your test’s standards, each time. If your certification test includes constructed response items, our course aligned to that test will include multiple examples of responses that would reach a passing score on the test rubric and opportunities for you to practice constructing responses to these items.

Additional Features

In addition to our practice assessments, your Passage Preparation courses will always include a diagnostic assessment at the outset. This assessment will allow you to identify content standards you should prioritize as you study for your test to prepare for teacher certification.

Feedback

You will also receive feedback on your responses, highlighting the correct response to each item and why it is correct based on the standard or content, as well as why the incorrect response options are incorrect.

Finally, you will receive an assessment report through your Passage Preparation account each time you take one of our practice tests. This report will show you the domains or standards you have mastered and the competencies or substandards you should study further. This is an easy way to identify areas for further study and can also serve as evidence of your preparation if you are required to take a preparation course to register for your teacher certification test.

A practice assessment is a test that is designed to help you prepare for the certification test or licensure test for which you are studying. These tests should reflect the length and structure of your actual certification exam. If your certification test includes both multiple choice, or selected response, and constructed response items, your practice assessment should also include both item types.

Taking practice tests help you prepare in multiple ways:

• Experience the structure and wording of different items
• Get comfortable with various item types
• Learn and understand how your items will be scored
• Receive feedback on your responses and apply this understanding to further study and your actual certification test
• Identify areas where you should focus your continued study

Item Types

Most certification exams include selected response items, or items which include a question stem and answer choices. In many cases, only one answer choice is correct. In some cases, your assessment may include a “Select All That Apply” option, which requires you to identify any and all answer choices that are correct responses to the question.

Constructed response items are typically short answer or essay questions in which you are presented with a stimulus such as an image or an equation to which you must write a response based on the directions. These are often scored with a rubric which describes the level of detail and analysis your response must show to reach a certain score point.