Praxis I PPST Test Breakdown

The Praxis I: Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST), commonly known as the Praxis test, is used to evaluate individuals seeking to enter teacher education programs. It has been developed by the Educational Testing Service to measure basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. After the completion of the Praxis test, a copy of the score report will be mailed to the test-taker and to any relevant institutions. The reading section of the Praxis test consists of 40 multiple-choice questions that must be completed within an hour. The questions will either depend on literal comprehension (55% of the exam) or on critical and inferential comprehension (45%). Questions pertaining to literal comprehension may focus on a passage’s main idea, supporting ideas, organization, or vocabulary. Questions pertaining to critical and inferential comprehension may focus on a passage’s argument or applications to other situations. The writing section of the Praxis test consists of 38 multiple-choice questions and an essay, all of which must be completed within two 30-minute periods. The questions are from the following content areas: grammatical relationships (13%); structural relationships (18.5%); and idiom/word choice and mechanics (18.5%). The other half of the test is a short essay assignment. The Praxis test multiple-choice questions will either ask the test-taker to assess language usage or will ask him or her to complete a sentence. The essay topic will be one that allows the test-taker to write about personal experiences and opinions. essay topics will not require specialized knowledge. The math section of the Praxis test consists of 40 questions and must be completed within 60 minutes. 

The Praxis test questions are in the following content areas: conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge (45%); representations of quantitative information (30%); and measurement, informal geometry, and formal mathematical reasoning (25%). Calculators are not allowed during the exam. Praxis test scores will be sent to the individual from two to four weeks after the exam. The score report will indicate whether the individual has passed the Praxis test; the grade required to pass varies between jurisdictions. Besides this information, the Praxis test score report will indicate the individual’s raw score and the highest possible raw score. Raw score is derived from the number of questions answered correctly. Individuals will receive a score on the Praxis I test regardless of how many questions have been answered. The score is based only on the number of questions answered correctly, with no deduction for questions answered incorrectly. The Praxis test is usually taken on a computer, though a paper-based test is available. The computer version of the Praxis test is administered by Thomson Prometric at locations around the country.

Here are the sections on the PRAXIS test: