The Praxis tests are a series of exams that various states use to test the knowledge and skills of aspiring teachers. Many states require one or more of these exams as part of their teacher licensure or certification process. Therefore, states typically have their own specific passing score for each exam that students must meet. The Praxis is divided into three main categories, the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators, the Praxis Subject Assessments, and the Praxis Content Knowledge for Teaching (CKT) exams. The Praxis Core is designed for all students preparing to become teachers, no matter the subject area or grade level, and tests students in reading, mathematics, and writing. The Praxis Subject Assessment is designed to test students' knowledge in a specific subject area. These exams include a wide range of tests in various areas, some of which are designed for specific grades, such as middle or high school students. The Praxis CKT exams test students' understanding of a subject and their skills for teaching it. Below, we will discuss these exams in greater detail, as well as information for Praxis test dates.
The Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators exams, formerly known as the Praxis I exams, test the skills and knowledge of students preparing to enter teacher preparation programs. Universities or colleges may use these exams to evaluate applicants for entry into their teaching program, and some states use the Praxis Core as part of the requirements for licensure. Students taking the Praxis Core must pass a reading test, writing test, and mathematics test. Students have 85 minutes to complete the reading portion, 90 minutes for the mathematics portion, 40 minutes for the writing questions, and 60 minutes for the 2 essay responses (also part of the writing section). Students can choose to take the Praxis Core in-person at a Praxis testing center or remotely at home. Praxis I dates, or Praxis Core test dates, vary based on students' testing format, but the exams are all computer-based no matter the location.
The Praxis CKT exams are designed to test teacher candidates' content knowledge and how well prepared they are to handle content-related problems that will arise while teaching. These exams are primarily taken by those pursuing a generalist elementary school license and therefore focus on elementary education. Candidates are tested in the areas of reading and language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The questions test students' abilities to both understand and perform the work of the curriculum, as well as teach the curriculum. The four different test areas range from 47 to 63 questions, with reading and language arts including 63 questions, mathematics including 52 questions, science including 47 questions, and social studies including 60 questions. In general, around 20% of the exam is designed to measure content knowledge, while 80% of the exam is intended to measure candidates' specialized content knowledge needed to teach in the field. Test dates for the CKT exams also vary by testing format.
The Praxis Subject Assessments are also known as the Praxis 2 and test students' specific content knowledge in a range of subject areas. These assessments include over 90 exams in different subjects. Many of these exams are designed to test advanced skills needed for middle and high school teachers who teach specific courses in their area of specialization. Similar to the other exams, aspiring teachers may be required to pass specific subject assessments as part of their state's licensure or certification process. The Praxis Subject exams include subject assessments in areas such as world languages, agriculture, biology, social studies, and more, as well as Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) tests. The PLT Praxis test measures pedagogical knowledge for early childhood, K through 6th, 5th through 9th, or 7th through 12th grades. These subject assessments and PLT exams range from 1 to 4 hours in length and may include selected-response and/or essay and constructed-response questions. Praxis II exam dates depend on the testing center or if the exam is available for remote testing at home.
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In order to take a Praxis exam, students must register for their specific exam online, by mail, or by phone. Students who decide to register for Praxis exam online must have an account with the ETS and verify their email. From their account, they can register for a specific exam by choosing the test, scheduling a date and time, and paying the necessary fee associated with their exam(s). Students testing at a test center can print their admission ticket from their account. Students who choose to register by mail must make sure they allow at least 3 weeks for their testing voucher to be sent to them after mailing in their Test Authorization Voucher Request Form. Finally, those who want to register by phone must have a Praxis account and be testing within the United States. Students must call at least 4 days before their desired test date and will have to pay an additional $35 to register by phone.
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Create AccountPraxis exam dates are widely available to help students test at a time and location that is convenient for them. In general, test dates are available 7 days a week, but some exams have more or less availability than others. For example, typically, Praxis core test dates are more numerous than some specific subject assessments, such as art, because more students are required to take these exams. Students can use the ETS test date page to explore the available test dates for their desired exam(s) using the drop-down menu. Students can also see from this webpage when they can expect to receive their Praxis score report for their exam.
International testing is available for the Praxis, but most students will want to choose between Praxis at-home testing and testing at a test center. Students who choose to test at home must make sure their specific exam is available for at-home testing and then can proceed to take their exam 7 days a week from 10 am to 1 am Eastern Time. Those who want to test at a Praxis testing center can find a Prometric test center, university, or other testing center near them. Test dates and times will be dependent on the specific test center's availability. Some centers may be limited on the number of seats for a given day or time.
The scheduled Praxis score release dates vary by several factors, including the Praxis exam dates and the type of exam. For instance, some exams with longer responses may take longer to score than others. Students can select their exam and their Praxis test dates using the ETS Praxis score date tool to see their expected score report date. Scores are posted after 5 pm Eastern Time on the expected date. Students can view their score on their Praxis account and will get an email saying the score is available. During Praxis registration, students can indicate up to four institutions or agencies to receive their scores.
Jenna Feldman, M.Ed. has taught high school math for over 11 years. She has developed curricula for Algebra, Algebra 2, Precalculus, Geometry, Statistics, and Calculus. She passed the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Reading, Writing and Math, as well as the Praxis Mathematics Content Knowledge exam. Jenna earned her M.Ed. from Wesley College and her B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Delaware.
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The cost of taking the Praxis depends on the specific exam that students need to take. Some of these exams range from $50 to over $200 and there are some additional fees that can be associated with different circumstances, such as a $35 fee for registering via phone.
Students can continue to retake the Praxis if they continue to fail the exam, but must wait 28 days between each test taken. This time limit stands even for those who cancel their scores.
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