Exams are Coming—Are you Ready?
The culmination of the AuD process typically involves some kind of comprehensive examination; and then, to obtain an audiology license in the vast majority of states, the Praxis exam must be passed (at present with a scaled score of 162). When we searched for current resources available to guide studying for these, there were self-created options, such as student-made study guides and flashcards (e.g., quizlets), but no current single resource that would satisfy all areas covered on the Praxis. ETS provides a topical outline for the exam, but it does not contain the content that this text offers. Consistently, however, there are social media posts about this want and need. We created Audiology Review: Preparing for the Praxis and Comprehensive Examinations to fill this need.
Audiology Review: Preparing for the Praxis and Comprehensive Examinations follows the five main sections covered on the Praxis exam over the course of 12 chapters: Test-Taking Strategies and What to Expect; Foundational Knowledge; Assessment and Differential Diagnosis; Prevention, Identification, and Treatment; and Research and Professional Topics. The book opens with a chapter on test-taking strategies to help prepare for comprehensive examinations and the Praxis. Chapters for Foundational Knowledge are filled with helpful images and tables to cover anatomy, physiology, disorders, acoustics, instrumentation, and psychoacoustics, as well as typical and disordered communication. The Assessment and Differential Diagnosis section contains materials on adults, pediatrics, and vestibular testing and diagnosis with several illustrative cases throughout. Amplification, implantables, screenings, hearing conservation, aural rehabilitation, documentation, and counseling are all within the Prevention, Identification, and Treatment portion of the text. In Research and Professional Topics, chapters on research, evidence-based practice, and other professional issues (e.g., ethics, IPE, IPP, practice management, infection control) are incorporated.
The authors who contributed to this text come from a variety of clinical and academic settings, each writing in their areas of expertise and many years of practice. The chapters are written to be readable and relatable to real-world audiology practice, with case examples, call-outs (e.g., “audiology nuggets”), tables, and figures. Furthermore, there are ten practice questions at the end of each chapter, creating a mock-Praxis exam, that exemplify the types of questions outlined in Chapter 1. The questions in the text are accompanied by explanations as to why the correct answer is what it is, to better help the reader gain a deeper understanding of the material and rationales.
In addition to the resources within the text, the companion website has a second 120-question practice exam and numerous case examples with questions. The cases are constantly evolving with contributors from many aspects of audiology. It is our goal to keep adding to this resource so future students and practicing audiologists can continue to challenge themselves.
This text makes an excellent addition to capstone or grand rounds courses during the AuD program. Its 13 chapters fit well into a semester’s worth of material and has already been adopted by several programs. While not designed to be an introductory text, Audiology Review: Preparing for the Praxis and Comprehensive Examinations was written to be used as a study companion and contemporary resource for audiologists: entering into, new to, and experienced in the field.