If you aren’t a teacher or in education, it might have been a while since you took a test. Well, as a teacher, you better get used to them. One of the first tests you’ll need to take is a Praxis exam. The Praxis is a nearly nationwide (a few states accept or prefer other tests) format of test that allows teachers to demonstrate their mastery of a subject. You can take a test in a whole slew of subjects ranging from 9-12 grade English to Gifted Education, Spanish, Math, and more.
Of course, knowing which Praxis to take is part of the battle. There are dozens of tests and each state has slightly different requirements on what subject or test number they require. Don’t worry however, I’ll help you figure out which Praxis test you need and go over why it’s important to take one before you even start teaching.
Why Do I Need to Take the Praxis?
When I first started on my journey to become a teacher, I was very confused about what I needed to do first. It’s not like most districts have their own “how to” guide, mostly because teaching is regulated by the state. I found a few resources that gave me a million ‘pathways’ but the North Carolina Department of Instruction (DPI) was the most helpful resource I found as they were pretty clear on everything I need to do. Well, they had all the things I needed to do written out, just not necessarily any clues on what order or why something was important.
I mentioned in my post on first steps that I reached out to my local school district’s licensure specialist for help. She was really helpful in looking over my transcripts and helping me figure out what I needed to do in order to find the right subject for me. Like a lot of non-education majors, my degree wasn’t in a subject that tends to be taught in middle or high school. I haven’t seen International Affairs offered in most K-12 classrooms anyway. This meant I had a bit of flexibility as I had a lot of social studies, English, and economics courses. However, I didn’t quite have as many credits in each subjects as North Carolina would like. Here’s where the Praxis comes in.
How it Helps
By taking a Praxis test in each subject I was interested in teaching, I was able to demonstrate that even without taking 36 credits of English classes, I still knew my stuff. It’s even part of the form I had to fill out for my job. My LEA can either check off that I have 18 credit hours of the subject I am teaching, or they can check that I have a passing score in the state exam.
Besides this, it also helped to reassure my boss that I knew my subject as well. As an outsider, he was kind of taking a chance when he hired me. By taking the Praxis test in Middle Grades English, I was able to prove that I wouldn’t completely fail the kids and be able to conjugate verbs. You know, English stuff.
Which Praxis to Take
Now that you know why you need to take the Praxis (and why it can help you get hired in the first place), it’s time to figure out which Praxis to take. There are 2 ways to do this. First, you can go directly to Praxis’ website and search for your state and subject. It will tell you which exam(s) you will need in order to be licensed as a teacher in your state.
The other, more direct way is to check on your state’s department of instruction or education website. North Carolina’s list is a little hard to find at first, but as the state is the one setting the requirements, it makes sense to get your information directly from the source. The list of Licensing Testing Requirements changes from time to time, so be sure you take the most up-to-date test you can.
I still don’t get it…
Ok, how about we use me as an example. After a bit of time as a substitute teacher, I figured out which subjects and grade levels I wanted to teach. Elementary would kill me, and high schoolers seemed a bit too jaded for me, so I opted for the insanity of middle school. I know my limitations, so there was no way in hell I would be teaching math. I do know I love English and History though, so I realized I needed to take at least one of those tests. If you go on DPI’s website, you need to scroll down a ways to find the middle school test codes.
The website was pretty clear however once I found it. To teach Language Arts (aka English) to middle schoolers, I needed to take the 5047 Praxis and get a score of 164 or higher. I then went on the Praxis website and registered for the test. You have to make an account the first time, so give yourself 30-40 minutes to enter in all the information the first time.
Study Time
Before you take the test, I highly recommend taking a few days or weeks to study. I registered for study.com’s course on the test. It wasn’t cheap, but they had some questions that were almost word-for-word what I saw on the test. I studied for both of my tests in the same month and then canceled my course after taking both tests.
Keep in mind, if you haven’t been in school for several years, you might need to study more than others. I took the test about 13 years after finishing my bachelor’s and I’m very glad I took some time to review some of these concepts and texts. Some of these were things I hadn’t seen since high school!
Take the test
You can take the test in person or online. I’ve taken all of mine in person, my brother has taken all of his online, both are completely fine. Depending on the test you take, you might get a raw score soon after taking the test. For both English and Social Studies, I didn’t get a score as too much of the grade came from open response questions.
After a few weeks however, your score will be ready and you’ll get a nice pdf with your test score.
And there you have it, how to know which Praxis to take, why you should take it, and what to expect. Just a reminder, even if you have enough credits in the subject you’ll be teaching, it’s still likely to be required. It’s also a good way to get those add-on licensure requirements met if you decide to teach another subject later.