The Praxis II exams, (AKA the Praxis Subject tests), are required for certification in specific pedagogy areas. But how many Praxis II tests are there? And just how many content areas are covered by the Praxis Subject tests?
The short answer to this question is “a lot.” In the Praxis PLT alone (the most commonly required Praxis II series), there are four separate tests. The different PLT tests focus on teaching techniques for different age groups. Of course, there’s a lot more to the Praxis Subject test lineup than just the PLT. There are many other exams with many different focuses.
How many Praxis II tests are there total?
I’m reluctant to give you an exact number here, because the truth is that the available Praxis Subject Assessments change frequently. The lineup of Praxis II exams is so big because ETS regularly customizes their selection of Praxis Subject tests to meet the changing needs of K-12 education in the United States. ETS even creates some Praxis II exams just for individual states, so not every Praxis exam will be accessible (or necessary) in your state.
But if you really do want the exact number, I can tell you that currently there are 98 different Praxis Subject Assessment tests. This number can and will change, though.
In fact, by the time you read this, it’s possible that the number of Praxis II tests will be have fluctuated a little. This is why ETS itself is non-committal about their exact number of Praxis II exams. ETS’s official Praxis Subject Assessments Overview states that there are “over 90 different tests.”
How many Praxis Subject tests are there for each subject area?
This depends on the subject area. As I mentioned above, the subject area of general pedagogy, as covered in the PLT, includes four Praxis subject tests. Some subject areas have more– there are nine different versions of the Praxis II for elementary education, to give one example. Other subject areas may have two or three Praxis Subject assessments, or as few as just one.
How many Praxis Subject Assessments are there for each teaching license?
This varies depending on the subject area of the teaching license. It’s also different for every state, and can change from year to year. (Again, this is why ETS creates and offers so many Praxis IIs.) Most commonly however, your state will only make you take one or perhaps two Praxis II exams. (I myself had to take a Praxis II for language arts content knowledge and language arts pedagogy in order to get my Louisiana teaching license.)
If you state does make to take a third Praxis II exam, it will usually be an age-appropriate PLT exam. In a later post, we’ll look at how your state of licensure and your chosen teaching area determine which Praxis II tests you should take. In meanwhile, you can see a complete list of the Praxis Subject Assessment exams on the official Praxis page for test and service fees.
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