“How many times can I take the Core Subjects EC-6 exam?” is a question I hear often. Check this out for more information. You have 5 chances to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 exam.
You have to get a 240 or higher on each subject area (English Language Arts and Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and Fine Arts).
Let’s say you take it and pass the English Language Arts, Fine Arts, and Science, but you fail the Math and Social Studies section.
You have the option to retake the entire exam, or just take the individual subject areas you failed. Let’s say you take them individually.
Attempt 1 (passed ELAR, Fine Arts, Science)
Attempt 2 (took just Math)
Attempt 3 (took just Social Studies)
As you can see, if you take a single subject individually, it counts as an entire attempt. That means if you fail more than one section, you should retake the entire exam.
Let’s say you take it and fail 3 subjects three times, and on your fourth attempt you pass all but Math. Your final attempt can be just for math, since you have only one subject area to pass.
It’s important to study for each subject area carefully to maximize your chances of passing the entire exam on your first try.
My digital courses have just what you need to know to pass each subject area, with nothing extra that could overwhelm you or bog you down.
Take practice tests to check your comprehension and see if you’re ready . You should score at least 80% to have a good shot of passing your test.
Getting a Waiver
The state allows you 5 chances times to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 exam. If you fail it 5 times and want to take it again, you have to apply for a waiver.
If you don’t pass after 5 attempts, you have to pay money for a waiver, and if you get approved, you have to get hours before they approve you to take the test again. Learn how many clock hours you would need to be able to retest.
*Get a good study guide or digital course that is aligned to the state competencies. Read the material at least twice, from start to finish. Take notes and make flash cards, or use Quizlet. This is the most important strategy to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 fast.
*Tap into your learning style. If you are a visual learner, get a video-based course. Some people prefer to read- and if so, my video-based courses also have everything in text format. Auditory learners can use the video based course and play it and listen.
Situational Questions
*Learn how to answer situational or scenario-based questions. This is one of the best ways to learn how to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 fast, since these questions are on every subject area. These are the questions that ask you the best way to handle a situation or teach a concept. Usually it is easy to eliminate two answer choices, and then two both seem correct. Choose the one that is 1- most on topic, 2 – most thorough, and 3 – most learner-centered. Don’t pick the most learner-centered one if it’s not on topic.
*Go through the sample questions in the Texas NESINC manual. Read the answers and WHY they are correct. Start to think like that so you will be able to answer more questions correctly on your exam.
Practice Tests and Extra Help
*Take practice tests to check your comprehension, and when you miss questions, go back to your study guide or course and study those concepts more.
*Sometimes you need extra help to push you over the edge. You might be interested in tutoring. I have passed the test, and have helped many people just like you pass it, too! You may check out my calendar and schedule a session here. I meet on Zoom and am available on weekends and evenings.
Pass Your Test and Land Your Dream Job as a Teacher in Texas
Don’t Give Up
*Maybe you have taken the exam a few times and are discouraged. That’s understandable. I have helped people of their fifth attempt pass! You can do it, too.
*Study consistently. Make a plan to study everyday, and cut out distractions. You might need to put your phone in another room, or turn off your notifications. Dedicate at least an hour a day for one month to studying for this test.
*As you read the material and watch the videos to study, use metacognitive strategies to check your understanding. Ask yourself – “Do I understand what I just read?” “Could I explain this to a friend in my own words?” If not, go back and study those sections more.
The Most Important Tips to Pass the Core Subjects EC-6 391 Exam
*I want to help you land your dream job as a teacher, so I made these free tips to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 391 exam.
*Find a study guide or course that fits your learning style. My courses have video, text, and sample questions.
*Carefully read the content and watch the videos. Take notes, make flash cards, etc.
*Use metacognitive strategies to check your comprehension. Metacognition is a fancy word for thinking about your own thinking. Ask yourself if you understand the paragraph, and if not, go back and re-read it.
*If you have test anxiety, check out this Beat Test Anxiety Course. It has practical tips and resources to help you get control of your anxiety so you can study more effectively and stay calm during your exam.
Practical Tips to Pass the Core Subjects EC-6 391 Exam
*Think positive. Tell yourself WHY you will pass. Focus on the hard work you’ve been doing that will pay off.
*Control test anxiety. Replace negative thoughts like “I’ll probably fail” with positive, realistic ones like “I’m going to pass because I have been studying very carefully and have completed the course, taken notes, and made flash cards.”
*Time yourself. Pay attention to the timer on the test screen, or as you practice, time yourself. Make sure you have time to answer all the questions. If you are running short on time, don’t leave any answers blank – just make the best guess you can.
Tips to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 391
Common Obstacles to Passing
Test anxiety – Replace negative thoughts with positive, realistic ones.
Time to Study – Consider getting up earlier to study, or if you’re a night owl, stay up a little later. Take your study guide or use your phone to access your digital course to study while you eat lunch.
What to Study – Get a study guide that is aligned to the competencies.
Getting Distracted – Choose or set up a space free from distractions where you can focus on studying. You might need to put your phone in another room. If possible, get a babysitter or ask family members for help with your kids so you can have dedicated time to prepare.
Science – Take released STAAR tests for grades 5 and 8, and when you miss questions, study those concepts and topics more.
English Language Arts and Reading – The released STAAR tests will help you with reading comprehension practice, but they won’t really prepare you for the types of questions on the test.
Fine Arts – Use a study guide or digital course that is aligned to the competencies. There are no STAAR tests for this subject.
Tips to Pass the Core Subjects EC-6 English Language Arts and Reading Section
Buy a study guide or course that is aligned to the competencies and go through it from start to finish. If you don’t have one yet, check out our printable study guides and courses. Carefully reading a high quality or course is the best way to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 English Language Arts and Reading section.
Take notes, make flash cards, or use Quizlet.
Learn to control your test anxiety. By making a plan and consistently studying, you will have evidence to tell yourself why you will pass this time. Regularly practicing a meditation and replacing negative thoughts with positive, realistic ones will help. Check out our Beat Test Anxiety Course.
Learn how to answer situational or scenario-based questions. In these questions, you have to choose the best way to teach a concept or handle a situation. We have a one-of-a-kind video based Situational Questions Course to help you learn to answer these questions.
In situational questions, first narrow it down to the options that are on topic. Next, select the one(s) that most thoroughly address the question. Finally, out of the remaining options that are on topic and thorough, choose the one that is most learner-centered. That means the students are actively engaged.
Make a study plan, stick to it, and keep telling yourself why you will pass the Core Subjects EC-6 ELAR section.
Think positive. Visualize your passing score and dedicate time daily to meeting this goal.
Practice Questions
Take practice tests and when you miss questions, go back to your guide or course and do more practice on those types of problems. Watch videos to learn how to do these types of math problems.
Carefully review the free sample questions and answers in the Texas NESINC manual.
Do you need to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 Math Section? For many people, the Math section is the most challenging one to pass. Here are some tips and strategies to help you pass!
Tips
Buy a study guide or course that is aligned to the competencies and go through it from start to finish. If you don’t have one yet, check out our printable study guides and courses.
When you struggle with concepts from your guide or course, find videos on those topics. Khan Academy has excellent free videos.
Learn to control your test anxiety. By making a plan and consistently studying, you will have evidence to tell yourself why you will pass this time. Regularly practicing a meditation and replacing negative thoughts with positive, realistic ones will help. Check out our Beat Test Anxiety Course.
Learn how to answer situational or scenario-based questions. In these questions, you have to choose the best way to teach a concept or handle a situation. We have a one-of-a-kind video based Situational Questions Course to help you learn to answer these questions.
In situational questions, first narrow it down to the options that are on topic. Next, select the one(s) that most thoroughly address the question. Finally, out of the remaining options that are on topic and thorough, choose the one that is most learner-centered. That means the students are actively engaged.
Make a study plan, stick to it, and keep telling yourself why you will pass the Core Subjects EC-6 Math section.
Practice Questions
Take released STAAR tests for grades 3 through 8. When you miss questions, go back to your study guide or course or watch more videos on those concepts.
Take practice tests and when you miss questions, go back to your guide or course and do more practice on those types of problems. Watch videos to learn how to do these types of math problems.
Carefully review the free sample questions and answers in the Texas NESINC manual.
These tips and this video are made for the entire exam, but they will of course still help for the math section.
Learn to choose the right answer on situational or scenario based questions. A free way to do this is to read all the sample questions and rationales on the Texas NESINC manual. We also offer a video based course to teach you how to choose the correct answer for situational questions.
Choose the answer that:
1. Is most on topic
2. Most thoroughly answers the question
3. Is most learner-centered or has the students engaged
Get a Good Study Guide or Course
There are many good options. Choose one that is aligned to the state competencies and make sure it fits your learning style.
Be sure to read it from start to finish, take notes, and make flash cards.
Check Your Comprehension
Check your understanding by taking practice tests, and when you miss questions, go back to your study guide or course and study those concepts again.
It is also helpful to take released STAAR tests for grades 3-8 for Math, Science, and Social Studies. When you miss questions, study those concepts or do more math practice on those types of questions.
Beat Test Anxiety
Take steps to over test anxiety so you can focus better both while you study and while you take your test. We offer an affordable Beat Test Anxiety Course.
Check out these tips and watch this video to learn how to pass as soon as possible.
Are you struggling to pass the Math section of the Core Subjects EC-6 exam? We know it can be frustrating. You are ready to be in the classroom and this is standing in your way! Check out these free sample questions. You may want to enroll in our digital course to learn the content you need to know to pass the Math section. You may also be interested in our full length practice math tests. These resources will help you pass the Core Subjects EC-6 Math section.
Core Subjects EC-6 Math
Check out these free questions to practice. Want more free questions? Sign up for free tips at http://www.coresubjects.net and check out our Facebook page Texas Teacher Today.
Taking released STAAR tests for grades 3-8 is another great way to practice. When you miss questions, be sure to get more practice on those concepts and problems in our digital course or on Khan Academy.
Question 1
Ms. Smith teaches third grade. Many of her students are struggling with learning decimals. What would be the best hands-on approach to help her students learn about decimals in a meaningful way?
A. Showing them a video and giving them a worksheet that explains decimals.
B. Breaking the class into small groups that each receives a board with 100 squares and 100 counters or manipulatives. She will show the class a few examples demonstrating that 3 counters on the board is the equivalent of .03, or 3 out of 100. Then students will come up with their own decimals using the board and manipulatives.
C. Teaching them a song about decimals, and having a guest speaker that talks about how he/she uses decimals and math in the workplace.
D. Using the Smart Board to demonstrate what decimals are, what they are used for, and having advanced students do some sample problems on the Smart Board. The rest of the class will take notes from their desk, and later the class will take a quiz so she will be able to evaluate their progress and determine if they have mastered the concept.
Question 2
2. Mr. Smith teaches Fifth Grade Mathematics. His students are at various levels, and he wants to meet the needs of all learners. What is the best way he can design instruction to meet the needs of all students?
A. He can develop a lesson plan and activity that is at the average level, that way most students can successfully complete it, and give extra support to students that struggle.
B. He can create an advanced assignment, a regular assignment, and a remedial assignment that uses mathematics from a previous grade level.
C. After giving whole class instruction with a hands-on activity all students complete, he can work with small groups of students broken down by ability/readiness level while the rest of the students complete an individual assignment. He will rotate small groups in order to meet with all students.
D. After giving whole class instruction, students can work in partners on the assignment. He should pair advanced students and struggling students, and should use an average level assignment. Later, he should give advanced students an additional more challenging assignment, and struggling students a remedial assignment.
Are you struggling to pass the Math section of the Core Subjects EC-6 exam?
Core Subjects EC-6 Math
This section has 40 questions, and you have one hour and 10 minutes.
You do not get a calculator or a formula sheet. Our Math app will teach you what you need to know and give you practice questions to check your understanding.
Our new app TExES courses has videos, content, and practice questions to help you pass your test.
Go to the Google Play Store, search for TExES Courses and download it, and create your account.
Learn How to Answer Situational Questions on the Core Subjects EC-6 391 Exam
What Are Situational Questions?
Situational questions on the Core Subjects EC-6 391 present you with a scenario and you must choose the best way to teach a concept or handle a situation.
It is important to learn how to answer these questions, because they appear on each subject of the exam, including Math, ELAR, Science, Social Studies, and Fine Arts.
About 20 to 25% of the test questions are situational or scenario-based, so if you don’t learn how to answer these correctly, it will be very difficult to pass.
How Do I Choose the Right Answer on the Core Subjects EC-6 391?
Choose the answer choice that most directly relates to the question. In order to be correct, it has to be completely on topic.
There will probably be two or three options that are both on topic. Next, look for the option that most thoroughly addresses the question.
Finally, select the answer choice that is most learner-centered. Choose the option that has students engaged and participating.
Common Mistakes
People choose the most learner-centered option even if it is off-topic. Remember, no matter how great it sounds and how student-centered it is, it cannot be correct if it does not directly relate to the question.
People do not choose the most thorough option. Be sure to find the one that is most on topic and thorough.
Still Need Help with the Core Subjects EC-6 391?
You might be interested in tutoring. I have passed the Core Subjects EC-6 and know how to help you pass, too!
Check out these tips to help you and these additional ones for the fastest way to pass..
Retaking the Exam?
If you’re retaking the exam, you might be extra nervous. Be sure you know the best way to retake it.
Core Subjects EC-6 Social Studies Teacher and Students
Lately I have heard from so many people struggling to pass the Social Studies section of the Core Subjects EC-6 exam. There are 40 multiple choice questions, and you only have 50 minutes to answer! This is challenging, but it’s not impossible.
One thing that makes the Social Studies section of the Core Subjects EC-6 exam so difficult is the wide range of information you have to know – World History, United States History, Texas History, Geography and Culture, Government, and Economics. Here is a more detailed breakdown of what you have to know to pass the exam:
Competency 1 – Social Sciences Instruction
Social Sciences Instruction – You have to understand social science, as well as how to teach it and assess students’ knowledge. My situational questions course is very helpful in learning how to correctly answer these questions. The situational questions course has scenario-based questions in all areas of the Core Subjects EC-6, including Social Studies. By watching videos, you will learn the “best” way to teach certain concepts and handle classroom situations. For example, they might ask you the best way to help students understand the best way to represent the Earth (map, globe, satellite view, etc.). A detailed explanation of how to find the correct answer is included.
Competency 2 – History
History – You have to be able to correctly answer questions about world history, US history, and Texas history. In additional, you have to understand historical interpretations and ideas.
Competency 3 – Geography and Culture
Geography & Culture – In this section, you have to understand the geographic relationships between people, places, and environments not only in Texas, but also the United States and the world! Diversity, adaptation, and cultural development is also covered.
Competency 4 – Economics
Economics – In this competency, you have to understand the basics of economics and be able to answer questions about how people create economic systems to produce, distribute, and consume goods and services. There are even questions about the Texas economy. My digital course has all the content you need to know, and even has realistic sample test questions to help you monitor your comprehension. There is even a free preview!
Competency 5 – Government and Citizenship
This section will test your knowledge of how political systems work. You have to answer questions about government, democracy, and citizenship. It is important to know the historical development of political organizations, and be able to answer questions about both the US government and Texas government. You might see questions about the Texas Constitution, and you can be sure you will see questions about the US Constitution, especially the amendments. My course will help you narrow it down to only the amendments you need to know for the exam.
Studying
It can be overwhelming to study for this section of the test! I recommend that you start with one thorough study guide or course. The main goal is to learn the CONTENT, and not to spend a lot of time answering practice questions. If you know the content, you will be able to answer almost any question. For example, if you “study” be answering questions and you learn that the Battle of Gonzales started the Texas Revolution, that won’t help you if your test question is about the Battle of San Jacinto! Instead, study the information you need to know so that you will be able to apply it to any test question. If you buy more than one study guide or course, you are likely to get overwhelmed and not know what to do first.
Check Your Comprehension
After you thoroughly study the information, take a sample test to check your comprehension. Then, when you miss questions, go back and study those topics and concepts more. For example, if you are missing questions about the US Constitution, go back and study that, paying close attention to the important amendments. My digital course and study guide have the information you need to know to pass, but sometimes it is helpful to do additional reading online to reinforce what you have already learned. If you enroll in my digital course, a full length test is included in a self-checking format. If you prefer my digital study guide, a full length sample test is available as a separate purchase.
Take Released STAAR Tests
After that, I recommend that you take released STAAR tests. The STAAR tests are the standardized assessments students in Texas take beginning in Third Grade. However, they only assess Social Studies in Eighth Grade and then they have end of course exams for high school. I recommend that you take some released STAAR tests from Eighth Grade, and then check your answers. Be sure to look up more information about the topics and concepts you don’t understand well.
If you are missing questions about Supreme Court cases, go back to that section in your course or study guide, or do some additional reading. If you are a visual learner, watch some videos about those concepts. As you study, it is helpful to read out loud and record your voice. Later, while you are driving or cooking or any other convenient time, you can play back the voice clip to help you memorize that information. This is particularly useful for auditory learners.
Take Notes
As you go through the course or study guide, be sure to take notes and make flash cards. Use metacognitive strategies to check your understanding. Metacognition is self-evaluation, or thinking about thinking. Pause often to ask yourself if you understood the sentence or paragraph, and if not, go back and re-read it. Research shows this is what effective readers do, and if you want to optimize your study time, it is imperative to frequently check your comprehension.
Be Consistent
Consistency is key. As Mark Twain said, “the secret to getting ahead is getting started.” Don’t get discouraged. Even if you have already taken it a few times, roll up your sleeves and start studying. Work on your goal daily. You might need a break after 20 or 30 minutes of studying, and that is fine! Just come back to it. Even when you only have 10 or 15 minutes, I encourage you to use that time productively to prepare for your exam instead of thinking it’s not enough time.
Consider Tutoring
If you have already taken the exam before, review your score report to know which areas you need to focus on the most to improve your score. If you email me your score report to info@texasteachertoday.com , I will be happy to give you customized feedback!
A lot of people ask me how many hours they need to study. It depends on your background knowledge, reading speed, and their reading comprehension level. Instead of focusing on an exact number of hours, make a plan to daily work on your study guide or course and give yourself enough time to finish it and understand it. For some people this might only be a couple of weeks, but for others it might take months.
Finally, many people benefit from tutoring. There are some programs that offer in person tutoring sessions or classes. I am available for phone or video tutoring. One benefit of working with me is that I have passed the Core Subjects EC-6 exam and have been tutoring for years. I hope to help you meet your goal this year of passing the test to become a certified teacher in Texas!
Finally, these tips and this video are made for the entire exam, but of course they’ll help for the Social Studies section.
