Study Materials

Use this link (Testing Tutorials and Demonstrations) to see how the test is formatted, and how you can mark questions as you go. You can also become familiar with the test format by purchasing an official practice test.

Research shows that the more familiar you are with the format of the test, the more you can approach the test with confidence and with your mind focused on the content, and this positively impacts your score.

Since this is a timed test, it is strategic to not spend too much time on each item, and use the “flag for review” tool to note what questions to do at the end, or review again later once you have gone through the whole test.

Make a document with these headings:

• Things to remember:

• Things to research:

Looking at the framework for your content area, note which categories are the largest sections of the test and prioritize studying for those sections first.

If you find something helpful, put it in “things to remember”, if you get stuck, put it in “things to research”.

Aim to have about 2 pages of “things to remember”, it might start off longer, but condense it down to the essentials, right before the test.

The best ways to prepare for the MOCA are with the resources that are provided by the company that makes the MOCA.

If you can only purchase one study tool, the best thing to get is the official MOCA practice test from the MEGA website. The second most helpful resource is the Mometrix study book.

Use the official practice test or other practice test questions to see where your strengths and weaknesses are, regarding the content. Try at least one timed practice test, because this helps you feel what the pacing of the test will be like. If you’re taking a practice test that is a different number of questions than the official practice test, use the “time per question” to figure out what amount of time you should take. Review your answers and see if in your incorrect answers there are common themes in the content and also the test question formats. Add these observations to your personal study guide.

When you feel stuck, try to write down right away what your question or obstacle is on your personal study guide. Bring these to study sessions with peers or bring it to a tutor. If you are interested in a group study sessions in your content area, reach out to karissa.sywulka@slu.edu to get matched with peers or a content area specialist.

The MoCA tests (Missouri Content Assessments) are part of the MEGA tests (Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments) which are part of the group of NES tests (National Evaluation Series) that Pearson creates. You’ll notice these terms come up when looking for study materials. There are also study material websites like study.com, and companies like Mometrix who have created materials based on the MoCA frameworks.

In the past, teacher candidates could take the Praxis exams, but those are no longer part of Missouri teacher certification. So if you’re talking to teacher colleagues about the MoCA, and they don’t recognize the term, you can tell them it’s like the Praxis exam.

For content areas with higher enrollment, there are SLU-created resource guides. There is also a template for you to make your own. See below for links for content-specific resource guides.