Last Saturday I went to take my Special Ed Praxis exams at Purdue University-Calumet. I was stressed to the point of feeling ill because, well these exams are not about classes. They're about professional licensing. And, to be honest, tests just stress me out. Going to Purdue to take them didn't help either just because of the reputation of the school. I'm not sure what I was expecting but if a high level of professionalism was one of the things I thought I would find, I was sadly mistaken.
No, I won't talk about the tests themselves because, well I would actually like to work in the profession that I'm studying in and sharing info about the details of a Praxis exam is a big no-no. What I will talk about is the fact that the very method for handling the Praxis will no doubt lead to many students failing the test out of sheer test center induced anxiety at Purdue University-Calumet.
The Praxis ticket states that you need to be checked in by specific time. Assuming we're all adults working toward a profession, showing up on time for a test you actually had to pay for seems like a simple thing. Wrong again. As we all waited for the test to start, we were informed that we would wait an extra 15 minutes to make sure any late comers could get in. Lose one point for professionalism right there.
The fact that the person administering the test made everyone clean off any study materials while we were waiting for the these late arrivals seemed a bit redundant as well. Of course, the best part of the process was waiting for her to read through the post test materials which instructed us to get forms from her...that she didn't even have. Nice. And this was just the first test of the day. Was this supposed to be a living example of how not to be a professional? If so, great job Purdue!
Fast forward to test 2.
Picture, if you will a hall full of student who rushed back from a snack, break or bathroom time to adhere to the "be here on time or forfeit your fee and test" mindset that the Praxis ticket indicates, all anxiously awaiting the start of the second test.
Wait for it....wait for it....and...continue to wait for it for no less than 45 minutes!
Of course, since we weren't already anxious enough, a student from one testing room over assures us that this hour long test will turn into an episode of Gilligan's Island as we all take a 3 hour tour of the inside of this classroom. She continues to spew her negativity (apparently the anxiety level wasn't already high enough for her) until I mention that we should just think positive because submerging ourselves in mass hysteria isn't going to do a damned thing to raise our test scores.
Of course, to those of us who love psychology and sociology, this created an opportune moment to explore the possibility that this was really just some sick sociology test about group anxiety about waiting in line. We were waiting for a "Lord of the Flies" incident, which thankfully didn't happen.
Let's get to the point. The way the testing center handles the testing process is every but as influential and important as your study habits prior to the actual test. Take that to heart. Avoid Purdue University-Calumet for your Praxis test at all costs. I sincerely think I would have had less anxiety had I taken the test centered in the middle of an over-populated daycare.
Note: This is no reflection on WGU or WGU Indiana itself as they have nothing to do with these details and I continue to experience good things from this institute of higher learning.
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