Teachers - CST Questions

karen32 Posted: Feb 13, 2004 07:05 AM

Teachers - CST Questions

just wanted to know the timing on taking the CST.

i am thinking of taking it this summer - i am taking 18 credits of math right now, so the information will be super-fresh. is that too soon?? dowling told me i can take it at any point. can i take it before i take my graduate education classes?

i read that the scores last 5 years - is that 5 years from the time you pass until you get your certification???

thanks!!!

anna Posted: Feb 13, 2004 07:32 AM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

Karen I plan to take the LAST in late April-take it with me!
Sorry dont have an answer to your question

karen32 Posted: Feb 13, 2004 07:42 AM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

can i take it LAST this early??? i would love to get it out of the way!!

ETA: is that a test i need to 'study' for? or is it like the SAT???

cocoa Posted: Feb 13, 2004 09:42 AM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

i didn't take the cst b/c i am special ed, but i took the last and atsw on the same day. i took it last march and graduated in december, so i gave myself a lot of time in case i did not pass either one of them. taking them the same day was a pain. they were exhausting tests and while i did not study, per se, i did review their booklet and i bought another book at b/n for 20 bucks to review as well. it is more about the strategies. for s/e, it was hard b/c we are taught that there is not one answer to a question b/c each child is unique, so finding the one perfect answer to a question was insane. plus, for the s/e tests, there were about 3 s/e questions!!! i cried on the ride home b/c it was draining and i never wanted to take them again, EVER!!! i fell under the old program so i had to pass them by a deadline, but if you are under the new program, take them whenever, just try to get them out of the way b/c they do suck!

karen32 Posted: Feb 13, 2004 12:56 PM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

thanks for the info cocoa!!!

i would love to get some of these tests out of the way now - i will look into the LAST for april. as long as i don't have to study hard for it, i should be able to manage it.

thanks!!

anna Posted: Feb 13, 2004 04:18 PM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

Yep I heard you can take then whenever to get them out of the way.
and I was told to NOT take 2 tests in the same day, just to avoid that stress. Sorry you went through that cocoa!
Karen-I'll FM you more about it
One of my professors told me to get a cup of coffee at barnes and noble and flip through their exam book for these exams. not to even waste $$ buying them.

janatlantica Posted: Feb 13, 2004 04:22 PM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

Don't take both on the same day definitely. Take the LAST first, then ATS-W (both fairly easy, minimal studying needed), the CST, which I expected to be the most difficult was actually pretty easy. Take the CST once you've finished all your coursework. LAST & ATS-W can be taken ANY time.

yabbobay Posted: Feb 13, 2004 04:26 PM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

my only suggestion would be take the LAST and ATW when you have some education classes behind you...or your student teaching...a lot of the stuff is based on experience type of scenarios...

as for the CST I took it after teaching for a year...but I think that if you are taking the classes you might as well...I had an economic section in mine...which I bombed (thankfully I did well on the other sections and they average...)

but I agree with janatlantica...studying for these are minimal..

karen32 Posted: Feb 13, 2004 04:27 PM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

thanks ladies!!!!!

i found some preparation guides on-line for the CST and the LAST. they don't look too bad - i think i am definitely going to do the Math CST in july while the information is still fresh.

if anyone needs more info, here was the site:

NYS Teacher Certification Examinations

ETA: thanks erica! dowling also recommended not to really take the LAST and ATS-W until i had some education classes since i have absolutely no background. i figured it might be worth a shot to get it out of the way - i want to look more at the guides - they have sample questions in them.

August2004 Posted: Feb 13, 2004 04:38 PM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

Karen,

I have taken all three exams and the LAST and ATS-W are a joke. You do not need to take your ed classes before taking these exams. LAST and ATS-W are geared more toward reading comprehension and such.

CST, I would take soon. Your grad math classes have nothing to do with undergrad classes as the grad classes are all theory and logic and trust me, NONE of this is on the CST at all. The CST basically tests high school level math and the first year of calculus. I would brush up on my trig and geometry before taking this if you feel you are weak in either area. If you need any further info, you can FM me !!

ETA: I took the LAST and ATS-W my first semester of grad school and passed both easily.

karen32 Posted: Feb 13, 2004 04:41 PM

Re: Teachers - CST Questions

Posted by teach2be

I would brush up on my trig and geometry before taking this if you feel you are weak in either area.

how funny - those are 2 of the classes i am taking this semester!!! i am no good at trig at all, geometry i'm pretty decent with. in fact, i should be doing my geometry homework right now instead of chatting with you lovely ladies.

thanks for the info!!!