Most teachers, or folks becoming teachers, will have to take a Praxis exam at some point. I’m working toward a specialist licensure in Early Childhood Special Education through CU-Denver, so I took the first two weeks of summer to study for a Praxis exam, and then I signed up to take it at home since that seemed easiest.
Well, I was very wrong. My experience taking the Praxis exam at home can be summed up easily, if not ridiculously: I almost got my scores thrown out because I glanced at a wall. Thankfully, not only did my scores not get thrown out, but I also passed the test. And—lucky for you—I’m here to explain what it’s like taking the Praxis at home versus going to a testing center like a fellow colleague did. (Spoiler: Go to a testing center if you can.)
Taking the Praxis at Home
Once I could sign into the specific site at my testing time, a proctor from Educational Testing Services (ETS) joined via messaging and could see and hear me. They took control of my computer to turn off the ability to take a screenshot and put it into Do Not Disturb mode. I was allowed to use a small whiteboard or a sheet of paper inside a transparent sheet protector with an erasable marker for notes.
Then came the sort of strange video part.
I had to show that my ears were open and visible and that my forearms were clear. Then, I had to pan around the room. I live in a small condo with my desk set up in my living room, so I had to scan my entire kitchen/living room space.
When my desk is against the wall, the bathroom door is behind me; the proctor needed me to have my back to the main door, so I had to move my desk to make that happen. Luckily, my desk is small, but I am not really sure what would have happened if I couldn’t physically do that. I also had to use my phone’s camera to show them that nothing was on, around, or under my desk. At this point, with my desk turned awkwardly, I was facing a window with a wall directly to my right—all of which the first proctor running this first video screening could see.
Once I started the test, things went smoothly. I was getting in the zone until a new proctor came on. Then, they interrupted my concentration. They told me I needed to tilt my computer down just slightly so they could see better. Eventually, after about two hours of staring at a screen, my eyes grew tired.
At this point, I glanced for about a second to the right of me.
Because a third new proctor had joined, they evidently didn’t know I was next to a wall. When I glanced over briefly, they interrupted me again. They paused the test, and I had to go through the entire video screening again. I was not happy. In fact, I was quite furious. I asked them how I was supposed to stare directly at a 13-inch screen and nowhere else outside that screen for two and a half hours when my eyes got tired. Their answer? Put in an official request for a disability accommodation to “rest my eyes” well before the testing date. For the last 30 minutes of the test, I willed myself not to look away from the screen.
A few weeks later, I even got an email stating ETS’ concern when I “looked off-screen temporarily during the test administration.”
Because this didn’t materially affect anything related to demonstrating my abilities while taking the test, according to ETS and their proctors, no further action was taken and my scores were reported. The whole thing was upsetting, to say the least. I understand that there are cheaters out there, and these processes are put in place for a reason. But the entire call-out of glancing off-screen after I had gone through the visual video check was ridiculous. It wasn’t my fault that the proctors changed at least three times and missed that first part of the check. I did pass, which I found out another few weeks after that email.
A colleague of mine who also took her Praxis at home had a similarly upsetting experience. Her first proctor told her that there would be a break in between sections to use the bathroom. When that time came, my colleague (who was seven months pregnant!) tried to get the proctor’s attention for several minutes. At this point, she believes that it was the third new proctor who, when they finally answered, told her that there isn’t a set break and that she could just use the bathroom whenever she needed to. Overall, my colleague wasted about eight minutes trying not only to get the proctor’s attention but also using the bathroom when she could have just gone whenever she wanted all along. Eight minutes wasted during a Praxis is precious, precious time.
Taking the Praxis at a Testing Center
Whittney Bartkey, a colleague of mine at a private school in Boulder, Colorado, is working toward the same specialist licensure I am obtaining. She chose to take the test at a center to avoid interruptions. Luckily, she found plentiful options for when and where to take the test and opted for a local community college. (She also had concerns about her Internet running properly at home, which is definitely something to consider.)
On the day of her test, she arrived 30 minutes early as recommended; however, the building wasn’t open yet. Beyond that minor snafu, the rest of the morning went seamlessly. There was clear signage of where to go, and Bartkey brought in only her ID for check-in. Lockers were available if she needed to secure something outside the testing room.
The testing room consisted of about 20 small cubicles with desktop computers. To enter, Bartkey was scanned by a metal-detecting wand. Each computer space had two pieces of paper and a pencil for taking notes, which would be turned in and thrown away at the end. Bartkey was instructed that if she needed to use the bathroom, she could just head to the door, and someone would check her out and back in. At no point was Bartkey interrupted by a proctor. Overall, she could concentrate, understood the parameters of the actual test taking, and passed as well.
“Taking the Praxis was smoother and less intense than I had anticipated,” says Bartkey. “The in-person environment was great because professionals could handle some details. There was an expert there to deal with potential challenges.”
So take your pick
If getting to a testing center is a pain, don’t worry too much about taking it at home. Just be prepared for what I’ve described above. But if you have access to a testing center, you’re more likely to have a hassle-free experience.
