Praxis II Agriculture Pennsylvania Exam
The Agriculture (PA) exam specifically assesses the ability of future teachers in Pennsylvania to teach agriculture to high school juniors and seniors. Potential teachers who take the exam should be familiar with the content of the exam from courses taken in the pursuit of bachelor degrees in the education of agriculture. The content of the Agriculture (PA) exam is broken up into six areas that are approximately divided into 140 multiple choice questions as follows:
- 28 questions covering Leadership and Supervised Occupational Experience
- 28 questions covering Agricultural Mechanics
- 21 questions covering Soil Science
- 21 questions covering Plant Science
- 21 questions covering Animal Science
- 21 questions covering Agricultural Economics
The Leadership and Supervised Occupational Experience questions concentrate on aspects of programs for both adult and future farmers and on the Future Farmers of America. Topics in this category include personal interests such as camps and workshops, public oration, and contests; issues associated with organizations such as, committees, officers, and service to the community; and the subject of careers in agriculture, including aspects of occupational training.
Questions in the area of Agricultural Mechanics will involve the equipment used in raising animals and crops and in the processing of the goods that are produced. All facets of construction that are relevant to agricultural practices as well as knowledge of various tools and safety concerns of work on farms will be included in this area of the exam.
The category of Soil Science consists of the morphology of soil, the preservation of land and soil, ways to test soil for fertility, and careers and safety concerns associated with soil science.
The questions in the area of Plant Science will focus on the anatomy and physiology of plants, types of plants and crops, cultivation of crops from planting to harvesting and processing, and careers and safety concerns related to plant science and the raising of crops.
Under the topic of Animal Science, the questions will concentrate on the anatomy and physiology of livestock, breeds of livestock, management of livestock, the products of livestock, and careers and safety concerns related to animals in agriculture.
The category of Agricultural Economics focuses on principles such as supply and demand, multiple facets a management and marketing, and laws concerning agriculture.
This is a two hour exam, with 60% of the questions being real-life problem-solving questions and 40% devoted to measuring knowledge.
