Praxis Core Concept Review

Overview

This chapter is about understanding what a passage actually says. You will find the main idea, pick out the details that support it, and decide what the passage suggests without saying it directly. It is one of the largest parts of the Reading test, so steady practice here pays off.

Start with the main idea. It is the one point the whole passage is built around, so it should cover every paragraph, not just one example. Next come supporting details, which are the facts, examples, and reasons the author uses to back up that main point.

Inference questions ask what the author implies or what the passage suggests. A good inference is a small, safe step from the words on the page. If an answer needs your own opinion or outside knowledge to work, it is probably a trap.

Overview

This chapter looks at how a passage is written, not only what it says. You will judge the author's purpose and tone, see how the passage is organized, work out word meanings from context, and tell facts apart from opinions.

Purpose is why the author wrote the passage, such as to inform, to persuade, or to describe. Tone is the author's attitude, which shows through word choice. Organization is the pattern the ideas follow, and transition words are the signposts that show it.

For vocabulary questions, the sentences around the word are your best tool, because a common word can have an unusual meaning in a specific passage. For fact and opinion questions, ask whether the statement could be checked. A fact can be proven; an opinion is a belief or judgment.

Overview

This chapter asks you to connect and judge information. You will read charts and graphs alongside text, decide whether an argument's evidence holds up, and compare two passages on the same topic. It carries as much weight as the Key Ideas chapter.

With charts and graphs, read the title, labels, and units before looking at the numbers. Then check whether the text and the graphic agree. With arguments, separate the claim from the evidence, and ask if the evidence is relevant and strong enough.

Paired passages test whether you can see where two authors agree and where they differ. Summarize each author's main view in a few words before you answer, so you can compare them clearly.

Overview

This chapter covers the grammar rules tested in the usage questions of the Writing test. You will spot errors in subject-verb agreement, pronouns, verb tense, modifiers, word choice, and idioms. Some sentences are already correct, so part of the skill is knowing when to leave a sentence alone.

Two key skills are subject-verb agreement and pronoun agreement. Find the true subject even when a long phrase sits between it and the verb. Make sure each pronoun points clearly to one noun and matches it in number.

Verb tense should stay consistent unless the time really changes. Adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Idioms and commonly confused words, such as affect and effect, must be used the way standard English expects.

Overview

This chapter is about choosing the best way to write a sentence. You will fix run-ons and fragments, correct comma mistakes, make lists parallel, and move modifiers so they describe the right word. The best answer is grammatically correct, clear, and not wordy.

A complete sentence needs a subject and a verb and must express a full thought. A fragment is missing one of these. A run-on joins two complete sentences without the right punctuation, and a comma splice joins them with only a comma.

Parallel structure means items in a list or comparison use the same grammatical form. A modifier should sit right next to the word it describes; when it does not, the sentence can say something silly. Among correct choices, the shorter one that keeps the full meaning is usually best.

Overview

This chapter puts you in the role of an editor working on a short draft. You will choose transitions, combine sentences, decide whether to add or remove a sentence, and keep the focus and tone steady across the passage.

Transitions must match the real relationship between ideas, such as contrast, cause and effect, or adding an example. When combining sentences, the goal is a smooth sentence that keeps the original meaning without extra words.

For add-or-delete questions, check whether the sentence supports the paragraph's main point. A sentence that is interesting but off-topic should go. Finally, keep the same tone as the rest of the passage, so do not drop slang into a formal essay.

Overview

This chapter covers the basics of doing research well. You will judge whether a source is credible and relevant, tell primary sources from secondary sources, and recognize the parts of a citation.

A credible source has a qualified author, is current enough for the topic, and shows where its information comes from. A relevant source actually addresses the research question. Both matter, because a trustworthy source on the wrong topic still does not help.

Primary sources are firsthand records, while secondary sources explain or interpret them. Citations let readers find a source again, so you should know the usual parts: author, title, publisher or journal, date, and pages.

Overview

This chapter is the largest part of the Math test. It covers integers, fractions, decimals, place value, ratios and proportions, percents, rates, and units of measurement. These skills also show up inside problems in every other chapter.

Fractions, decimals, and percents are three ways to write the same amount, so being able to switch between them quickly saves time. To find a percent of a number, change the percent to a decimal and multiply.

Ratios compare two amounts, and a proportion says two ratios are equal, which you can solve by cross-multiplying. Rates, such as miles per hour, are ratios with different units. Always convert to the same unit before you add, subtract, or compare measurements.

Overview

This chapter covers the core tools of algebra. You will write and evaluate expressions, solve linear equations and inequalities, and turn word problems into equations you can solve.

An equation stays balanced only if you do the same operation to both sides. Work step by step to get the variable alone, then check your answer by putting it back into the original equation.

Inequalities are solved almost the same way, with one important difference: if you multiply or divide both sides by a negative number, you must flip the inequality sign. In word problems, define the variable first and translate key words carefully.

Overview

This chapter covers shapes and space. You will use angle facts, congruence and similarity, the Pythagorean theorem, and formulas for perimeter, area, and volume.

The angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees, and angles along a straight line also add up to 180 degrees. Similar figures have the same shape, so their angles are equal and their sides are proportional. Congruent figures have the same shape and the same size.

The Pythagorean theorem finds a missing side of a right triangle. Perimeter measures the distance around a shape, area measures the surface inside it in square units, and volume measures the space inside a solid in cubic units.

Overview

This chapter is the second-largest part of the Math test. You will read tables and graphs, find the mean, median, mode, and range of a data set, and work out simple probabilities.

Reading data starts with the labels: check the title, the axes, the scale, and the units. Then the measures of center describe a typical value. The mean is the average, the median is the middle after ordering, and the mode is the most frequent value. The range shows the spread.

Outliers are values far from the rest. They pull the mean much more than the median, so the median often describes skewed data better. Probability is the number of favorable outcomes divided by the number of equally likely outcomes, giving a value from 0 to 1.