I've been prepping for the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills math section for 4 weeks and I'm stuck. My diagnostic was a 152 and I need a 150 to pass, so technically I'm above the threshold, but I keep dropping to 147-149 on timed practice and that makes me nervous. The algebra and geometry sections are fine — it's data interpretation and statistics where I fall apart.
I'm spending about 90 minutes a day on math with maybe 30 on reading and writing. The program I'm applying to requires passing all three Core tests in the same sitting, which means I can't just sink everything into math.
My biggest issue is time management. I spend too long on data interpretation problems and then rush the back end of the test. I've tried a 90-second per question hard cutoff but I still blow past it when I'm stuck on something.
I'm using Khan Academy and ETS official practice tests. Considering a prep book but not sure it's worth it at this point versus just grinding more official material.
Passed all three in one sitting last semester. My math was also my weakest at around 65% initially. The timed pressure on test day is real so do at least 3-4 full timed sessions before you go in. You've got this.
Data interpretation killed me on my first attempt too — I scored a 148 and those questions were probably worth 5-6 missed points. Drilling just that question type for a full week before touching anything else moved my score 4 points in 10 days. Not glamorous but it worked.
Official ETS materials are honestly the best investment for PRAXIS Core. The unofficial stuff varies too much in difficulty and some uses question formats that don't match what you'll actually see. Stick with ETS and Khan for the remaining 6 weeks.
The 90-second rule is the right idea but you need to make it a reflex in practice. I physically wrote the running time on scratch paper every 10 questions to stay anchored. After two weeks of that during practice I stopped burning time on hard questions in the real test.
I was in almost the exact same spot a few months ago, hovering right around that 147-150 range and completely freaking out about it. The one thing that actually moved the needle for me was stopping timed practice altogether for two weeks and just drilling the specific question types I kept missing, which for me was anything involving ratios and coordinate geometry. I didn't try to review everything, just those two things until they felt automatic. If you're not sure what PRAXIS Core even tests at a conceptual level, this page on what is praxis actually helped me understand the structure better before I started targeting weak spots.
Once I went back to timed practice, I wasn't second-guessing myself on those question types anymore and the time pressure felt way less scary. Six weeks is honestly plenty of time if you stop spreading yourself thin. You're already above the cutoff, you just need consistency, not a complete overhaul.
I failed my first attempt at a 148 and it honestly wrecked me. What changed the second time was I stopped treating timed practice like a full test and started doing timed sections in isolation — just 25 minutes on algebra, walk away, come back later for geometry. My problem wasn't that I didn't know the material, it was that I'd burn out halfway through and start making careless mistakes. If you're already at 152 on diagnostics but dropping under pressure, that's probably what's happening to you too.
Also, don't underestimate how much the test format itself trips people up if you're not familiar with it — I spent way too long early on confused about what was even being tested. Reading something like what is praxis sounds basic but it actually helped me understand the scoring better and I stopped panicking about every single question. Six weeks is enough time. Just drill your weak spots in short bursts and do one or two full timed tests in the last two weeks so your brain gets used to the pace.