Hello,
This reply is late with regard to the original posting date but my hope is that it will help future test-takers. My summation of the COM-209 TECEP:
1. Get a study.com membership. Here's a link that compares them all:
https://study.com/academy/plans.html Personally, I'd go with the Premium since the Basic doesn't give you access to end-of-chapter practice exams. Even with the Basic Plan, you're still going to get a lot of what's on the TECEP, but having those chapter exams will help with your rote memorization of the terms. The flashcard section is also very comprehensive and imho beats Quizlet's hands down. I wouldn't spend the $200 on the College Accelerator Plan unless you're planning to take their college credit transfer exams. TSU will accept study.com test scores btw, but if you're already registered for the $75 TECEP, you're overspending. And you'll need to submit 3 recorded speeches as opposed to the 2 for the TECEP.
2. Once you have your plan, search for "Communications 101: Public Speaking". This was recommended by a TSU advisor as "supplemental" study material in addition to the recommended reading in the test guide. I actually spent around 10 hours reading the material in the test guide and abandoned it for the study.com material and got an 86% on the test. The 20 questions focused mostly on ethics and certain concepts relating to audience analysis. Monroe's Motivated Sequence and Aristotle took up about 10% of those questions while the other's were peppered throughout with questions having to do with non-verbal communication and the different forms of speeches: informative, persuasive, entertainment, and informal (special occasion). You're going to get the gist if you pay attention to the study.com videos. I would watch the videos, read the section summaries, take the section quizzes and then the chapter exams until I scored 100%. That was really all the multiple choice prep I needed.
3. The essays were more real-world scenario questions and related to how one would handle distractions during a speech to how to conduct informal and formal audience surveys. Be prepared to account for what constitutes a strong opening with examples of a credibility statement and thesis.
4. You'll be expected to submit two speeches and will receive a prompt from the TECEP course site for each. Read the instructions carefully and take a good look at the grading rubric. I think I would've scored higher had I bothered to include more academic resources and came within the allotted time (7-10 minutes). I went a little overboard with graphics and shot mine in a green screen studio since I work in media, but you'll do fine with a webcam at home. You're allowed to use note cards, just remember to keep eye contact with your "audience" since that's a criteria in grading. The submission portal allows only for a 20 MB file, so if you're not familiar with video compression, now would be a good time to bone up with Youtube videos that instruct you on how to compress video for e-mail. My quality went through the floor with such high compression, but I uploaded my two speeches to my channel and added links in the dialogue window in the assignment submissions so that the grader at least had a higher quality version to watch.
5. Lastly, two of test guide questions did show up on the final. It's worth it to click the links having to do with how to give speeches and the examples, although dated, do cover the full scope of what you'll be expected to submit. I found the following two videos on Youtube very helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NZKuWtl...dex=9&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEBuR-kq...30&index=6
I truly found this steps instrumental in my success in passing this course. It was also due to this fine chap who pointed me in the direction of study.com:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o9LfjA8...dex=2&t=2s
Best of luck everyone!
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