Posted by ZBEST is CBEST Spread the Word on 11/05/08

I've done comparisons and can say that the CBEST is
cheaper, fairer, easier. The math section is middle school
vs high school on the Praxis. The CBEST tests your
knowledge, the Praxis seeks to confuse you and is
squirrely. The CBEST gives you a refund up to 24 hours
prior to the test date including Sunday. Praxis needs 3
business days, if you schedule on Friday, can't cancel for
Monday. The CBEST gives you an unbroken 4 hours which you
can distribute amongst the three sections however fast you
can do one,and use the extra time on the part that is
harder for you. The Praxis cuts off at 75 minutes on the
Reading and Math, so if you finish one first, you just sit
there, and cannot use the extra time on the Math, for
instance. The customer service is terrible for Prometric
and Praxis. The customer service for the GRE and CBEST is
nice. They will spend time with you and answer your
questions. The Praxis takes almost a month to send your
printed scores, says it will send them to other
institutions. I took the Praxis I in September and still
have not received my printed scores, nor has the designated
institution received them electronically.
I checked with the department of education in my state and
with my university graduate department and they both will
accept the CBEST. While not advertised, if you check with
your institutions that you are dealing with, they might
accept the CBEST. It is administered by Pearson. Praxis
is administered by ETS and is a monopoly and treats you
just like a monopoly does when they think they have you
trapped. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the mouse trap.
Spread the word. That is what ETS and Prometric need.
They need to have competition. Don't give up on your
teaching career because of the Praxis I--travel to
California if necessary to take the test. It will be worth
it. Once you pass the CBEST you get a Verification Card
which is good forever. Also, all three tests are combined
so that there are no individual parts that have to meet a
minimum, OTHER than if you receive less than 37 on any one
part, you cannot pass the CBEST. But you don't have three
different sections with three different scores that you
have to meet like on the Praxis I.

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