I spent last weekend at an interview event for an alternative teacher certification program. If I get in, I’ll have to pass a Praxis II exam before June.
Up until a week ago, it was a no-brainer that I’d take the Praxis II in math, since that’s what my degree is in. I’d read that it might be better to take it in another subject, in order to make myself more marketable, but I blew that idea off. Then I went to this event and started listening to people when they said this very thing, that being highly qualified in more than one subject = better chance of being hired.
When I had my personal interview, the two guys who interviewed me were the superintendent of a school district and the HR manager of another district. At the end, I asked about this: over the last 20 years I’ve probably taken 30 units or so of basic science classes, so should I maybe think about taking the Praxis II in General Science? The superintendent was nodding before I’d finished asking, and when I was done the HR guy didn’t hesitate before saying “YES!” The gist of his reasoning: I’m already highly qualified in math, as that’s what my degree is in. But I’m still required to pass a Praxis II, so it would be silly and redundant to take it in math.
So this is what I’m wondering about… yes, I’ve had science classes. Basic, intro-type science classes, nothing deep. I took the first quarter of a year-long sequence in chemistry years ago; ditto physics, but more recently. The last time I had biology was my sophomore year in high school, almost 25 years ago. Science stuff does come up frequently in math classes, but again, not at any deep level. Basically, while I like science a lot, I don’t feel like I’ve got a very strong foundation in it. One subject I’d feel comfortable with is astronomy, which has been a passion of mine since I was a little kid; a couple of years ago I took a two-quarter sequence in the subject. But somehow I doubt there’ll be many astronomy questions on the test.
This PDF (warning!) describes the test a bit, and has many sample questions. I tried the first five. I answered #4 correctly, but that’s because I know how to read a chart. With #3, I remembered that the atomic weights of hydrogen and oxygen are 1 and 8, and tried to reason through to an answer; in the end I guessed and wound up right. For the remaining three questions, I had no clue.
So, is my work cut out for me? Will I have to learn a year’s worth of classes in various subjects to have a shot at passing this test? I don’t think the learning will be so bad, as I’ll be interested in the subjects; if this were about taking a test in English or History, I wouldn’t even be entertaining the idea. 
But there’s a lot to learn. Again, I have to do it by June; and, I’ll need to take the test at least once well before that, in case I fail and have to try again (and again, and again…)