Praxis Sucks

Saturday morning I awoke at 6:00 am (not by choice). I jumped in the shower, got dressed, ate some toast and had the cow drive me to Portland State University. I am the luckiest person in the world. I got to spend the next SIX hours taking the Praxis II exam which will tell the state of Oregon if I am qualified to teach Social Science.
The first test consisted of 130 multiple choice questions that you had to answer in 120 minutes. Do the math, you had to answer more than a question per minute. I am a relatively fast reader but I am also very detail oreinted and want to make sure I am answering correctly. This type of strategy does not work on the Praxis II - Social Science Content Knowledge exam. After reading the first question several times, I realized I did not know the answer, so I moved on to number two - didn't know that one either. Once I got to number three and had not bubbled in any answers I knew it was time to move on to a new strategy. Read the question, eliminate some of the answers based on how the question was worded and then take an uneducated guess. I somehow answered all of the questions but must say that I do NOT believe I passed this exam. It made me feel stupid and inadequate. One of the questions had to do with the Dawes Act. I knew I had heard of it but had absoluetly no recollection of the acts importance. I don't need to have instant recognition of an arcane act in the classroom. If some kid asked me what the Dawes Act was I would say, "I don't know but I will give you 10 points if you come in tomorrow and tell the whole class what it is."
Once the multiple choice nightmare was over, I had exactly 15 minutes before the next test began - this one was going to be even more exciting. Praxis II - Social Science Essay Evaluation and Analysis. This test is all hand written. When was the last time you physically wrote a paragraph, making sure of spelling, grammar and content? Yeah! Well I not only had to write a paragraph I had to write 5 short essays and 2 extended (long) ones. The format was a little more interesting. The prompt would be either a quote, graph, political cartoon, etc and then the questions usually had three pieces you had to address. For example; there was a quote by MLK from Birmingham Jail regarding law and moral conscience. First you had to describe what the statement meant historically, then you had to explain two political and economic situations occurring during the time of the quote and lastly you had to evaluate how the quote could be used today regarding civil rights. Oh and did I say that you had to do this in approximately 10 minutes if you wanted to be able to answer all of the questions before the time expired.
My hand started cramping after the first short answer. I could barely read my writing and I was afraid to turn the page and see what my next question was.
When the proctor said you have 10 minutes remaining I hadn't even started writing my last long essay. I had been brainstorming how to write it and when those words hit my ears I seriously put pencil to paper. My thought was, I am going to go down getting my money worth. I was damn sure going to make someone read every single word I could possibly put on paper.
When the day was over I was brain dead. I fell fast asleep once I got home and my head hit my pillow. I know I will have to take these tests again but I have learned one thing: don't take both tests on the same day.