Congrats on finishing college! That’s a major step. I did use the GACE Biology study guide. You should be able to find it at major bookstores and their websites. It should be somewhere between $40 and $60 bucks; I don’t remember exactly how much I spent on it. I supplemented that with the CliffsNotes quick guide to Biology and a SparkChart tri-fold chart on the quick basics.

I’ve said it on here before, but I’ll say it again: the GACE website itself is your ally here. Here you can find study materials and sample questions. I recommend finding the PDF that has it all in it and going through that. At the very least, find the part that is the content of the test. It is a large outline, and you can use it like a checklist to see what you know already and what you need to find out.

I don’t know what you graduated in, but if it’s either science or science education, you should be OK. I didn’t even take biology in college, which means I hadn’t had it since high school, and I crammed at the last second and ended up passing. With a little more effort, you should be able t sail right through.

Thanks again and congratulations! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

I just finished college a few days ago and I am looking to teach biology in the fall. The only way this is possible is if I pass the GACE bio content exams. I see that you have passed it and many others. Congratulations!! Do you have ANY ANY ANY advice on how to pass it? Study guides? What did you do?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!!

Thank you,
Winnie Smith

I apologize for missing this comment for so long; for some reason, it was filterd as spam. It doesn’t not generally take me this long to reply.

There is no study guide for the Behavioral Science GACE test. You’ll need to use two things: the study materials from the GACE website, and supplemental material of your own for what you don’t know. I used a quick-reference book for Sociology b/c I was the most unfamiliar with that topic. The GACE website has a variety of PDFs containing study material. Make sure you get the one that’s the largest–it’s the most comprehensive and contains a list of everything that’s on the test.

Since you only have two days to study, I’ll give you my crash-study advice. Find the PDF document that contains a bulleted list of all the standards and concepts that are going to be on the test. Then, go through the list one at a time and look up the ones you don’t know.

Best of luck this Saturday!

–Mike

I don’t seem to be able to find a study guide for the Behavioral Science GACE exam. Did you use one, if so where di you purchase one from ?

Kind regards

Arlaine

Thanks Mike!
Go Dawgs!!

-Manning

I passed the Biology GACE with only moderate difficulty–and my degree was in Social Science Education, not biology. You should be OK, but you need to make sure you’re not surprised by anything quirky you might not have seen. My advice is pretty much the same: go to the GACE website, find the test-prep materials, and download some of the files for the Biology test. In particular, you’re looking for the one file that is a bulleted list of all topics on the test, and you want the sample test as well. Both files are free. Use the list of what’s on the test as sort of a checklist; go look up things you don’t know, and skip over stuff you do. The sample test questions will give you a feel for what to expect. Note that the essays only count for a total of 20% of the grade: 10% per essay, two essays per test, two tests. So don’t freak out if you see an essay question and can’t come up with something good. Also, you only get about 3/4 of a page to write your answer on, so keep it brief. If it’s your first GACE, and I think it might be, you’ll be OK. Don’t let yourself get caught up over any one thing. And, lastly, get there very early before parking runs out, make sure your papers and IDs [you need 2--check the website] are in order, and don’t let the craziness like fingerprinting get to you. Some basic prep work and Wikipedia will help you big time. I used the CliffNotes guide to Biology and I had no previous experience since high school.

Best of luck! Let me know how you think it went.

–Mike
P.S.: Don’t quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure if you teach with a bachelor’s in something other than education, you eventually must get a master’s degree in education. Might want to look at that after the GACE.
P.P.S.: Go Dawgs! Graduate December 2007 here.

I am about to take the Bio GACE and I was wondering how difficult it was. I just graduated with a degree in Bio. Have you heard anything about the Science? I’m taking that too.

Thank you, and good luck on the job search,

Manning

The problem with the GACE SPED General Curriculum test is two-fold. First and foremost, your biggest problem is that the test is so broad. There’s truly a little bit of everything on this test, and that makes it extremely difficult to study for. Your second problem is that the existing GACE guides are generally not as effective as one might think; they’re pretty expensive, too. I don’t think I bought the guide for this particular test [because it was so broad] but I have bought several GACE guides in the past and they have been very hit-or-miss.

Because you still have a week before the test, let me recommend the following strategy. First: you need to look at the test material on the GACE website. Go there and look on the left for test preparation materials. You’ll find links for PDF files for every GACE. You want the one that has the bulleted outline of everything on the test and the one that is a study guide and contains sample questions. My understanding is that if it’s not on the list of things on the test, it’s not on the test. I’d use that bulleted list to guide your studying. See what you know and what you don’t. Also, if you have time, stop by a bookstore and flip through a copy of the GACE guide just to see if it might work for you–just be sure to call ahead since they’re in such high demand right before the test.

Hope some of that was helpful. Best of luck!

Do you have any advice for studying for the GACE Special Education General Curriculum test? I have read several reviews that say the study guides you can buy from the bookstores are not helpful.

Thanks,
Carrie

Study materials for the Academic Content Concentration exams are hard to come by. There are printed guides that you can purchase in bookstores, but there isn’t one yet for this particular test.

Because you don’t have the benefit of a study guide book, I’ll give you almost the same advice I gave Jide in the comments on my last post. Go to the GACE website and find the study materials there for your tests. You should be able to find sample questions, and you should also be able to find a PDF that spells out exactly what will be covered on the test. Anything on that list is fair game–anything NOT on the list won’t be on the test.

Academic Content Concentrations is a difficult test to study for, simply because it’s so broad. Every topic is covered: science, math, social studies, and English/reading. You have to be ready for anything. I was slightly surprised by the difficulty of the math section, but you’re given a calculator, so you should be able to work your way through it. Even if you don’t know exactly how to solve the problems [don't miss the page of formulas they give you], you should be able to solve most by brute force or working backwards through the answers.

There were some questions about reading strategies that I was uncertain about.

If you go line-by-line through the list of topics on the test, I think that’s a decent strategy.

Best of luck!

–Mike

Sorry it took me a few days to get back to you, but I responded to your comment on my previous post. Head there for my advice.

–Mike

Thanks,
Becky

l intend to take GACE Geogrpaphy exam, please can you tell me the study materials you used.

Jide

As of today, there aren’t any published study guides for the Geography GACE.

You have plenty of time, so I recommend the following approach: Go to the GACE website and find the section for test preparation materials. There’s a bunch of PDF files for each test. One should have the exact subjects covered by the test on it line by line. Also look for the one with sample questions and practice tests in it.

As you’re going through the test curriculum, you might benefit from a book like Geography for Dummies [not sure if that exists]. In a pinch, you can Google countries for factual information. Wikipedia has issues, but in a pinch, it’s better than nothing.

That’s about all I can recommend–I took a bunch of geography classes in college, so I had an advantage in that I wasn’t starting from scratch, but you should be able to figure out what you need to know for the test.

Best of luck!

–Mike

lt was refreshing to read about all the Gace tests you have taken and passed. More grease to your elbow – well done.

l have taken the Economics and behavioural Science tests and passed too. l intend to take the Geography test next. Please do you know of any study guide or any books that will assist me while preparing for this test.

Hoping to read from you. Thank you.

Jide