Praxis tests

The two Praxis tests here sit at different points in a teacher-preparation program. Praxis Core — reading, writing and mathematics — is the academic-skills gate that many programs and states require before admission or before student teaching; it can be taken as three separate subtests or combined in one session, at a test centre or at home. Praxis Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects is a licence-area test taken near the end of preparation, in four subtests — reading and language arts, mathematics, social studies, science — each scored separately.

ETS writes and delivers both, but the passing scores belong to the states. ETS publishes each state's requirement, and a score that passes in one state can fall short in another; you send scores to the state agency or program that will use them. Retakes are by subtest, with ETS's appointment rules governing how soon.

Praxis delivery has two forms. At-home testing uses ETS's online proctoring with a system check, a room scan and an identity check, and the same content as the centre version; test centres run continuous appointments for Core and scheduled windows for some subject tests. Scores are reported on a fixed scale for each subtest with the state's requirement shown beside them, and score reports go to the recipients you designate at registration, with additional reports available afterwards.

How to use this family page: Core comes first, early in a preparation program, and the licence-area test comes near the end, so the order is usually settled by where you are in the program. Open the exam guide for the subtests and your state's passing scores, and work the practice sets by subtest so a retake, if needed, is one subtest rather than the whole test.

Which first: Core, because programs require it early and the state may require it before student teaching. Subject tests follow the coursework they assess, and states specify which subject tests a credential needs.