When Can I Take the Praxis Exam?

October 21, 2015

The Praxis Core is offered on a rolling basis continuously throughout the year, but if you also need to take a Praxis Subject test, be sure to check the windows of availability for your subject area. The range of available dates varies based on popularity of the tests.

Here are the testing date windows for some of the most popular Praxis Subject tests, including:

Praxis Elementary Education, Multiple Subjects (5001-5005)

Praxis General Science: Content Knowledge (5435)

Praxis Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161)

Praxis Middle School Mathematics (5169)

Testing Dates/Windows for 2015-2016:

11/2/15 – 11/14/15
11/30/15 – 12/12/15
1/4/16 – 1/16/16
2/1/16 – 2/13/16
3/7/16 – 3/19/16
4/4/16 – 4/16/16
5/2/16 – 5/14/16
5/30/16 – 6/11/16
7/4/16 – 7/16/16
8/1/16 – 8/13/16

Please note that these are the dates for just a handful of the ~100 Praxis Subject tests offered! The ETS site lists testing windows for all the tests. Work backwards from the dates you have in mind to figure out roughly how long you should study.

Below are some other areas to consider when scheduling your test and preparation schedule.

Know your proficiency at taking exams

Are you great at taking standardized tests, or do you get anxious just walking into the room? Have you practiced on the computer to understand how the test is administered?

Knowing how you typically perform in the test environment will help determine how much and what type of preparation you need.

Focus on your weakest area

You should consider your relative strengths and weaknesses when looking at the Praxis Core. Did you major in math or science? If so, you’ll probably do fine on the math portion. Did you study something that required a great deal of reading or writing? Then the reading and writing sections should come more intuitively to you. The Praxis Core tests your basic knowledge across subjects, so focus on the area that’s weakest for you. After you’ve identified your weakest area, you’ll need to practice, practice, and practice some more until you feel confident in that area.

Take the Praxis Core together, or separately

Unlike many standardized tests, you can actually take the different sections of the Praxis Core test separately. There is a financial cost ($90 per test vs $150 for all three at once), but you can weigh the benefits of having a fresh start to each section to potentially having to re-take the test if you don’t pass. Consider this option if you have a particularly weak area that you know will need 100% of your focus and attention.

Author

Jessica Wan

Jessica heads up Magoosh’s marketing team and also serves as the Area Lead for Magoosh’s SAT and ACT product lines. She joined Magoosh after working a decade in marketing roles in a variety of sectors spanning the arts, technology, and education. Jessica graduated with a BS in Product Design and BA in Music from Stanford, and has an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Outside of Magoosh, you can find Jessica performing classical music and musical theatre in venues across the Bay, and sailing with her husband, son, and dog.

View all posts

Comments

2 responses to “When Can I Take the Praxis Exam?”

Mary haulcy

April 2, 2017

My name is Mary. I have taken the praxis reading test numerous times and always fail it. Indeed help please.

Reply
1. Magoosh Test Prep Expert
  
  April 4, 2017
  
  Hi Mary,
  
  I’m certainly sorry to hear you’ve missed your score more than once. That must be very disappointing, to say the least. Praxis Reading skills can be somewhat complex, as you’re learning. To improve, you really need to look at exactly which question types you miss the most often. You should also think about why you miss certain questions. To figure this out, it can help to read answer explanations.
  
  You can find good explanations of the answers in Praxis Core Reading if you look at the official Study Companion PDF for the test. There are answer explanations in the two official web-based practice exams for Praxis Core Reading. You can also find plenty of practice questions, answer explanations, tips, advice, and skills tutorials here on the blog. Check out this blog’s Praxis Core Reading archive.
  
  Hopefully all of this material can get you started as you figure out the best way to change your approach to Core Reading and finally beat the exam.
  
  Reply